Nexon Geochem has cleared a key technical hurdle in its push to build an integrated Indian supply chain for high-performance Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets, successfully completing the first round of technical evaluation and benchmarking of Indian-origin raw materials at Russian technology partner GIREDMET.

 

The milestone takes Nexon beyond the bid-submission stage and into the next phase of technical qualification, pilot production and customer validation, bringing the company closer to its goal of manufacturing high-performance permanent magnets in India using domestically sourced raw materials.

 

Nexon is developing an integrated, end-to-end manufacturing process designed to convert Indian-sourced raw materials into finished Nd-Fe-B magnets. The planned production portfolio covers targeted grades from N35 to N52, with coercivity levels ranging from N to EH, catering to demanding applications across electric mobility, automotive, electronics, renewable energy, medical technology, aerospace and defence.

 

As part of the technical programme, Nexon supplied Indian-origin Nd-Pr oxide, iron and ferroboron to GIREDMET for evaluation. The exercise was aimed at establishing whether these materials could be successfully integrated into GIREDMET’s Nd-Fe-B manufacturing technology platform and converted into magnets meeting required magnetic and structural performance parameters.

 

The first batch has now completed the prescribed technical evaluation and benchmarking.

 

The assessment covered the raw materials’ chemical composition and impurity profile, conversion of Nd-Pr oxide into Nd-Pr metal, material quality and microstructure, as well as the performance of the resulting magnets. Key magnetic parameters included BHmax, Hcj and Br.

 

“This is a critical accomplishment for Nexon because we have technically validated the pathway for integrating Indian-origin raw materials into the required technology platform. Our focus now is to take this validated route into pilot production and customer applications in India. 

 

"Ultimately, we want to demonstrate that Indian-origin feedstock can support the production of customer-relevant, high-performance Nd-Fe-B magnets across the N35–N52 grade range, with applications spanning electric mobility, automotive, consumer electricals and electronics, renewable energy, medical technology, aerospace and defence and other advanced applications," said Praveen Choudhary, Founder, Nexon Geochem.

 

With the initial technical pathway validated, Nexon plans to mobilise its offshore pilot for customer validation in India. The company will work with customers to address application-specific requirements, optimise manufacturing processes and product grades, and advance the infrastructure, equipment and execution capabilities needed for commercial-scale production.

 

The validation also marks a significant stage in the technology transfer agreement between Nexon and GIREDMET. The Russian research and technology organisation, which has decades of experience in rare-earth materials and Nd-Fe-B magnet technology, has been supporting the benchmarking and qualification of Indian-origin materials within the Nd-Fe-B manufacturing process.

 

“Nexon Geochem has crossed a critical technical threshold: Indian-origin raw materials have been successfully validated through the Nd-Fe-B manufacturing process using Giredmet’s technology. This establishes the foundation for Nexon to build an integrated Indian supply chain for high-performance permanent magnets, from domestic feedstock to finished Nd-Fe-B magnets," said Konstantin Ivanovskikh, Deputy Director for Research & Innovation at GIREDMET.

 

Nexon’s development roadmap now advances through four stages: Raw-material validation → Technology validation → Customer validation → Commercial-scale manufacturing.

 

The completion of the first technical evaluation represents a major de-risking milestone for the project. It provides greater visibility on the pathway from raw-material qualification and technology validation to customer-ready magnet production, while creating a foundation for further optimisation of grades, process parameters and application-specific requirements.

 

If successful through the subsequent pilot and customer-validation phases, the programme could establish an integrated domestic route from Indian-origin feedstock to finished high-performance Nd-Fe-B magnets for strategically important advanced-technology sectors.