On Friday, September 26 in Sartell, Minnesota, Niron Magnetics celebrated a significant milestone: the official groundbreaking of its new 190,000-square-foot manufacturing plant, designed to produce mass amounts of rare-earth-free permanent magnets every year.
Attended by state and federal officials, including Governor Tim Walz and U.S. Representatives Tom Emmer (MN-6) and Betty McCollum (MN-4), the ceremony underscored regional economic opportunity and the strategic importance of domestic magnet supply chains. The new plant is projected to begin operations in 2027, creating over 175 high-skilled jobs in the region.
Niron’s magnet technology—derived from iron and nitrogen instead of scarce rare earth materials—originated from research at the University of Minnesota under Professor Jian-Ping Wang, who co-founded the company.
In October 2024, Niron expanded its manufacturing facility in Minneapolis, and now employs around 125 in Minneapolis. This latest expansion in Sartell will add over 175 full-time jobs and marks a key step in scaling a clean-tech alternative to traditional magnets and positions Minnesota at the center of a more secure and resilient, US-based supply chain for magnetic components.