Government establishes Rare Earth Magnet Pilot Plant at ARCI, Hyderabad

Key facts

• India has established a pilot plant for manufacturing neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) rare earth permanent magnets at the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) in Hyderabad.
• The facility operates under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and was inaugurated by DST Secretary Abhay Karandikar.
• The plant adopts an end-to-end manufacturing process ranging from strip-cast alloy production to the creation of finished sintered magnets.
• Nd-Fe-B magnets are critical components used in electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, electronics, and advanced manufacturing.
• ARCI is developing a mineral-to-market ecosystem covering the entire value chain from rare earth extraction to magnet manufacturing.
• The pilot plant is designed to support technology validation, process optimisation, and the scaling of indigenous innovations for commercial production.
• The initiative aims to address global supply chain vulnerabilities and strengthen indigenous capabilities in critical technologies for Viksit Bharat 2047.