Northern Rare Earth eyes medical device prospects

China Northern Rare Earth (Group) High-Tech Co Ltd, one of the six large rare earth companies in China, is aiming to upgrade its processing technologies for medical applications.

"As China encourages domestic production of high-end medical devices, which use rare earth materials, we see a great potential market in the application of rare earth in medical device production," said Zhang Zhong, chairman and general manager of Northern Rare Earth.

The company, based in Baotou, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is the only one among the top six rare earth companies in China that has made medical devices a key part of its portfolio.