ASM’s flagship metallisation plant has been operational since 2022.
Located in the Ochang Foreign Investment Zone, in Chungcheongbuk-do Province, ~115 kms south of Seoul, the Korean Metals Plant (KMP) opened in May 2022.
Since then, ASM has successfully commissioned the plant’s neodymium praseodymium (NdPr) metal and neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) strip alloy production lines and is supplying product to a growing international customer portfolio.
The KMP is one of the few facilities outside of China capable of producing the high-tech metals and alloys needed for clean energy technologies, advanced manufacturing, defence and aerospace.
Watch: ASM’s Managing Director & CEO Rowena Smith discussing the Korean Metals Plant with Mining Journal & MiningNews.Net.
Status
The KMP was officially opened in May 2022, following completion of construction and installation activities.
The plant is now in Phase 1 commissioning with an installed capacity of 1,300tpa of NdFeB alloy.
Phase 2 ramp-up has a designed capacity of 3,600tpa of NdFeB alloy and commenced in 2025.
Accreditations
The KMP has obtained the following formal accreditations:
ISO 14001: 2015
Environmental Management Systems
ISO 9001: 2015
Quality Management Systems
ISO 45001: 2018
Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems
IATF 16949: 2016
Quality Management Systems for the automotive industry
Products
The initial focus of the KMP is on neodymium and praseodymium metals and neodymium iron boron alloys. These are used to produce high-performance permanent magnets needed in sustainable technologies, advanced manufacturing and defence applications.
ASM achieved its first commercial sale of dysprosium and terbium metals in 2025.
Other product lines which may be produced at a later date include:
- High purity titanium
- Zirconium
- Hafnium
- Niobium