Niron Magnetics Plant Begins to Take Shape in Sartell

(KNSI) – On Friday, Niron Magnetics broke ground on a revolutionary new manufacturing plant in Sartell.

The company is able to produce high-powered commercial magnets without using rare earth minerals. It is the first significant change in how magnets are built in 40 years, according to a press release from the City of Sartell.

The facility is expected to be operational in early 2027, spanning approximately 190,000 square feet. Niron has promised to create 175 full-time jobs in the years following the completion of the factory, in exchange for financial concessions and tax breaks that will help make the project possible.

Niron Magnetics CEO Jonathan Rowntree says, “We’re proud to scale this homegrown technology in the heart of the industrial Midwest, and excited to make this community central to America’s supply chain independence.”

Rare earth minerals have been a source of geopolitical tensions in recent years, as they are almost exclusively mined in China. Although the raw materials are harder to obtain, demand for magnets is soaring, creating a bottleneck. Further adding to the revitalization theme, the site is a U.S.-designated coal community property. It is a rehabilitation of what was once the landfill for the old Verso Paper Mill.

This will be Niron’s first full-scale manufacturing facility. It opened a factory in Minneapolis in 2024, which produces pilot products. Niron works with companies like Samsung, Stellantis (parent company of Chrysler), Allison Transmission, and others to gauge interest in a permanent business relationship from what it can make now. The Sartell site would then deliver those magnets through mass production.

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