CHAPEL HILL — Vulcan Elements and UNC-Chapel Hill researchers have launched a $600,000 state-funded partnership to improve rare-earth magnet design as the manufacturer prepares its Benson plant.
The official partnership announcement says the North Carolina Collaboratory is funding research led by UNC chemistry professor Yosuke Kanai. His team will use quantum-mechanical simulations to predict how atomic-level changes affect magnetic properties.
The work is intended to connect university research with Vulcan’s manufacturing process. The Durham-based company says the modeling will support development of higher-performing magnets for defense and commercial technologies.
The project arrives as Vulcan develops a 1.1 million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Benson. The company says the Johnston County plant is designed for annual production of 10,000 metric tons of magnets and is expected to create 1,000 jobs.
Axios Raleigh independently reported that the planned factory represents about $1 billion of investment. Vulcan expects to begin moving into the site after Thanksgiving and aims to bring the plant online in 2027, according to the report.
Rare-earth magnets are used in semiconductor equipment, robotics, electric motors, drones and military systems. Vulcan and the Collaboratory are positioning the research as part of a broader effort to build a domestic supply chain for components now overwhelmingly produced in China.
The Collaboratory was established by the General Assembly in 2016 to connect university researchers with state priorities and industry needs. It says it has managed more than $300 million in state appropriations across more than 800 research projects.