Operational Excellence (OPEX) Daily Briefing – Tuesday, August 26, 2025: From Rocks to Resilience: What Rare Earths Teach Us About Operational Excellence
Điểm Tin Operational Excellence (OPEX) Mỗi Ngày – Thứ Ba, Ngày 26/8/2025: Từ những tảng đá đến khả năng chống chịu: Đất hiếm dạy chúng ta gì về Vận hành xuất sắc (OPEX).
Welcome to my unique weekday article for the paid subscriber-only edition.
Operational Excellence (OPEX) Daily Briefing – issued on weekdays (Monday to Friday).
Điểm tin Operational Excellence (OPEX) hằng ngày (phát hành các ngày thứ Hai đến thứ Sáu).
This is the bilingual post in English and Vietnamese. Vietnamese is below.
Đây là bài viết song ngữ Anh-Việt. Tiếng Việt ở bên dưới
Don’t forget the first time and unique BizDecoded series, starting from Aug 20th, 2025. Session #3 will be on August 27 at 10 am CST (10 pm Vietnam time) at the Academy.
🔍 20 Brands, 20 Deep Dives: The Business Behind the Money Machine
Starting this August 2025, get ready for a masterclass like no other.
English:
News Recap
On Aug 26, 2025, Energy Fuels and Vulcan Elements announced an MOU to build a domestic rare earth magnet supply chain. Initial validation quantities of NdPr and Dy oxides refined in Utah (from mineral sands in Georgia and Florida) are expected in Q4 2025.
On Aug 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Interior released its draft 2025 list of critical minerals, expanding from 50 to 54 commodities. Newly added: copper, silver, lead, silicon, potash, and rhenium.
China accounts for ~90% of global rare-earth refining capacity, and between 2020–2023 the U.S. imported about 70% of its rare-earth compounds/metals from China.
Being on the critical minerals list makes projects eligible for federal funding and streamlined permitting, but not automatic tariff exemptions.
Introduction: Why Should You Care About Rocks?
At first glance, “rare earth minerals” don’t sound exciting. They’re rocks pulled from the ground—hardly the stuff of boardroom thrillers. Yet without them, your smartphone wouldn’t vibrate, your car’s battery wouldn’t charge, and wind turbines would grind to a halt.
Today’s headline is more than geology. It’s a story about resilience, and resilience is OPEX at its core.