Apologies for the long post , but its mainly "cut and paste...

Apologies for the long post , but its mainly "cut and paste "----but perhaps a glimmer of hope in here :

From the 31st Dec Quarterly ....
During the Quarter, ASM delivered 475kg
of NdFeB strip alloy to customer Noveon
Magnetics Inc. (Noveon). The batch
cleared customs in December and was
delivered to Noveon as part of the
commercial batch testing to complete the
current product validation process.
Noveon has advised that testing using this
sample will occur in Q1 2025.
From the Noveon Magnetics Website ..News articles , dated February (no exact date ) 2025
You can access the Noveon website and read the articles here:
News — Noveon Magnetics About — Noveon Magnetics

#### Caution that no mention of ASM here per se ...but the latter two articles , are an encouragement that ASM is at least in the hunt to join the dots , and that the recent Presentations and Conferences of Rowena Smith does have some "smoke signals"finally emerging .
#### Apropos todays political events , I think that Noveon would be on the phone to certain Republicans , reminding them of "what we are doing"!
Part of the article , of Noveon and Nidec ...makes very interesting reading as well :

It’s also finalizing a contract with the Defense Department estimated to be worth $35 million and talking with other government agencies, including the Department of Energy, for additional work.

“It’s a really sort of bipartisan issue. It’s important for national security. It’s important for developing our industrial base, whether it’s an energy industrial base or a defense-related industrial base,” Afiuny said. “At the end of the day, it’s servicing a broader need that supports trends in electrification and, as a result, I think that there’s a lot of good attention at the state level” as well as across the federal government.

Noveon Magnetics ENDORSES the rare earth magnet security act

Noveon Magnetics, a high-performance rare earth magnet manufacturer in the United States, is proud to endorse the Rare Earth Magnet Security Act (REMSA). Introduced earlier this month by U.S. Representatives Eric Swalwell (CA-14) and Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), REMSA aims to strengthen domestic rare earth magnet production and the U.S. national security. With this endorsement, Noveon joins other industry leaders in supporting the bill’s key provisions, including a production tax credit designed to incentivize private-sector investment and foster a fair and competitive market for domestic manufacturers.

San Marcos-based rare-earth magnet maker Noveon lands major deal with Nidec

Noveon Magnetics Inc., a San Marcos-based recycler and maker of rare earth magnets, has landed a deal to deliver 1,000 tons of magnets to Nidec Motor Corp. over the next five years.

Calling the contract “a great form of validation,” Peter Afiuny, Noveon’s co-founder and chief commercial officer, said Friday that Nidec will use the magnets in its industrial automation and defense businesses.

Nidec & Noveon Magnetics Enter Off-Take Agreement for Rare Earth Magnets, Strengthening U.S. Supply Chain Resilience

Nidec Motor Corporation ("Nidec") and Noveon Magnetics today announced a 5-year, binding off-take agreement with the potential to supply more than 1,000 tons of total off-take of finished sintered NdFeB rare earth magnets, supporting Nidec's operations across critical industries including automation, industrial, and defense applications with deliveries beginning in 2025