Interview with Tim Harrison, Managing Director of Ionic Rare Earths

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/ionic-rare-earths-asxixr-us-attracted-to-magnet-recycler-7488

Recording date: 2nd September 2025

The rare earth metals market has entered a new era following China's April 2025 export restrictions on seven critical rare earth elements, creating unprecedented opportunities for alternative suppliers. Australian-listed Ionic Rare Earth (ASX:IXR) has emerged as a strategic beneficiary of this supply chain disruption through its advanced magnet recycling technology.

China's export ban demonstrated its monopolistic control over materials essential for modern technology and defense applications, immediately creating supply shortages and price volatility. Ionic Rare Earth's Managing Director Tim Harrison reports the company has been "inundated on requests to access the dysprosium and terbium" from their Belfast demonstration plant, with dysprosium commanding three times Chinese quoted prices in European markets.

The geopolitical catalyst has triggered massive government and corporate investment in supply chain security. The US Department of Defense invested $400 million in MP Materials, establishing a $110/kg floor price for neodymium-praseodymium, effectively doubling available prices to non-Chinese producers. Apple followed with a $500 million investment in recycling infrastructure, signaling corporate recognition of supply chain vulnerabilities.

Ionic Rare Earth's competitive advantage lies in its proprietary recycling process that produces high-purity separated oxides using 85% less capital than traditional mining. The technology focuses on separating four elements representing 85-90% of rare earth supply chain value, enabling rapid deployment across multiple jurisdictions without mining permits or social license challenges.

With comprehensive patent protection, strategic partnerships providing feedstock access through EMR, and government support across the US, UK, and Europe, Ionic Rare Earth is positioned to capitalize on the structural shift toward recycling-based supply chains. The European Critical Raw Materials Act mandates 25% of rare earth supply from recycling by 2030, creating additional policy tailwinds for the company's expansion strategy.

View Ionic Rare Earths' company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/ionic-rare-earths-ltd