Ford Motor Co. is rationing rare-earth magnets after an acute shortage forced it to idle its Chicago-area sport-utility vehicle plant for a week in May. Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley called supply “day to day,” adding that the automaker remains “hand to mouth” despite filing multiple export-license applications with China’s Ministry of Commerce. The crunch stems from Beijing’s decision in April to add several magnets to its export-restriction list, obliging suppliers to secure individual licences. Washington and Beijing struck a trade truce in mid-June that was meant to speed approvals, but Ford executives said late in the month that the paperwork bottleneck was still slowing deliveries and keeping production at risk. Customs figures released over the weekend suggest supply is starting to loosen. China shipped 353 metric tons of rare-earth magnets to the United States in June, a 660% jump from May after licences began to flow. Even so, the rebound left volumes 38% below the same month last year, and first-half exports were down 18.9% year on year, underscoring continued fragility in a supply chain that is critical for electric vehicles, wind turbines and consumer electronics.