Eramet Restarts Senegal Mine at 30% Capacity After Fire

Eramet, the French mining and minerals processing giant, has restarted operations at its Senegal facility following a fire that severely impacted global supplies of zircon and titanium—critical materials for aerospace, defense, and electronics manufacturers. The facility is operating at only 30% of normal capacity, signaling a prolonged recovery period that will likely create supply constraints in downstream industries. This incident underscores the concentration risk in specialty mineral production and highlights how a single-facility disruption at a major global producer can ripple across multiple high-value industrial sectors.

For supply chain professionals, this disruption presents both immediate and strategic challenges. Companies relying on zircon and titanium must rapidly assess inventory levels, secure alternative sources, and potentially negotiate long-term contracts with competing suppliers or expedited allocations from Eramet as capacity normalizes. The 30% restart capacity suggests full recovery may take months, not weeks, making contingency planning and demand prioritization essential.

Organizations in aerospace, automotive, and defense should review supplier concentration risk and consider dual-sourcing strategies for these critical materials. The incident reflects broader vulnerabilities in global supply chains for specialty minerals, where production is often concentrated in a few geographic regions or facilities. As industrial demand accelerates—particularly in clean energy, defense modernization, and advanced manufacturing—ensuring resilience through diversified sourcing and strategic inventory buffers has become a competitive imperative.