Atlanta, Sept 4, 2025 — Today, Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that JS Link America Inc., a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of South Korean firm JS Link, intends to invest about $223 million to establish a new rare earth permanent magnet manufacturing facility in Columbus.
With its first magnet plant nearing completion near Seoul, and plans for another in Malaysia, the biotech company is rapidly positioning to become a significant international force in the magnets business with production operations outside of China. Feedstock of processed rare earths from Australian minerals company Lynas Rare Earths is a key part of the company’s ramp-up.
“JS Link America strengthens Georgia’s role in securing the U.S. supply chain in industries such as aerospace, mobility, and energy,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “We are excited for the continued growth of manufacturing in west Georgia, and congratulations to Columbus-Muscogee County for this opportunity.” The new facility will create more than 520 new jobs in Muscogee County, Georgia.
Founded in 2000, JS Link is a Korean biotechnology company that specializes in research and development. The company is aggressively expanding its business to include the production of permanent magnets and currently is nearing completion on a similar permanent magnet facility in Yesan, Korea, with an anticipated pilot production run in September and annual capacity of 1,000 tons.
“JS Link plans to be a part of a value chain focused entirely on Western nations to meet the growing demand for permanent magnets sourced from strategic allies such as Korea. This new chain will cover the entire process, from the procurement of essential rare-earth materials to the final manufacturing of the magnets, said Jun Lee, JS Link America’s CEO.”
To be located at the Muscogee Technology Park in Columbus, the company’s new 130,000-square-foot facility in Georgia is predicted to have an annual production capacity of 3,000 tons. Operations are expected to begin in late 2027. Meanwhile, it has put out the word that it be hiring for engineering, production, construction, administrative, and management roles.
Linking up with Lynas Rare Earths for new magnet plant in Malaysia
Australian minerals company Lynas Rare Earths announced in July the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreement with JS Link to develop a sustainable rare earth permanent magnet value chain in Malaysia. Under the terms of the MoU, Lynas will collaborate with JS Link on the development of a 3,000-ton capacity NdFeB permanent sintered magnet manufacturing facility near Lynas’ advanced materials plant in Kuantan.
The companies will also collaborate in respect of the supply by Lynas of light and heavy rare earth materials to JS Link to support production of NdFeB permanent sintered magnets. “Lynas is delighted to partner with JS Link on the development of permanent magnet manufacturing in Malaysia,” commented Amanda Lacaze, CEO of Lynas. “Manufacturers around the world are actively seeking new suppliers to meet their growing needs for permanent magnets. Lynas is an established supplier of rare earth materials to permanent magnet makers and we look forward to working with JS Link to leverage its technology and expertise in permanent magnet manufacturing to develop an exciting new industry in Malaysia.’’
About JS Link
A publicly held firm listed on the Korea Exchange, JS Link is currently a biotech company and was previously known as DNA Link. Now with a magnet division focused on rare earth permanent magnet manufacturing, its first permanent magnet factory, located at Yesan about 60 miles south of Seoul, is expected to begin pilot production this month, using feedstock from Lynas. Plant setup and material preparation has already been completed, along with installation of the quality control lab, JS Link reports in its September newsletter.
A key step was accomplished on August 26, when its large melting furnace was put into production for samarium cobalt alloy. It anticipates completing production of NdPr magnet prototypes in September. In efforts to line up its customer base, supply discussions are taking place with about 40 companies including electric vehicle, defense and appliance manufacturers, says the company. For more info, see www.jslink.co.kr.
