A future manufacturing plant in central Minnesota is expected to produce magnets used in cell phones, electric vehicles, wind turbines and defense weapons — without requiring rare earth elements that are in short supply in the U.S.

Niron Magnetics is building the 190,000-square-foot plant in Sartell, just north of St. Cloud. The Minneapolis-based company says it’s the first manufacturing plant in the world to produce high-powered magnets without the use of rare-earth materials.

“We’re excited now to really commercialize and scale that in Sartell,” said Niron CEO Jonathan Rowntree in an interview on Tuesday.

Niron expects the plant to begin operating in early 2027. When it’s at full capacity, it’s expected to produce up to 1,500 tons of magnets a year and employ 175 people.

Niron offici

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