COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Columbus scored a major economic development victory Wednesday morning that will create more than 520 new jobs in the city.
Gov. Brian Kemp and Choose Columbus, the city's economic development arm, announced that JS Link America Inc., a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of JS Link, intends to invest about $223 million to establish a new rare earth permanent magnet manufacturing facility in Columbus.
"JS Link America strengthens Georgia's role in securing the U.S. supply chain in industries such as aerospace, mobility and energy," Kemp said in a statement. "We are excited for the continued growth of manufacturing in west Georgia, and congratulations to Columbus-Muscogee County for this opportunity."
It is the first major economic development announcement for Choose Columbus. The organization hired Missy Kendrick earlier this year as president and CEO.
JS Link is a South Korean biotechnology company that specializes in research and development. The company has expanded its business to include the production of permanent magnets, which are a critical component in industries including automobiles, wind turbines, elevators, home appliances, medical, robotics, urban air mobility, data centers, consumer electronics and defense systems.
JS Link is nearing completion on a similar permanent magnet facility in Yesan, South Korea, with an anticipated pilot production run in September and an annual capacity of 1,000 tons, according to a news release from the governor's office.
"From day one, Georgia's economic development team, local community leadership in Columbus and Georgia Power all welcomed JS Link with a pro-business approach. Georgia's universities with their engineering programs also provide ready-made labor force for JS Link America," said Jun Y. Lee, JS Link America Inc.'s CEO. "JS Link plans to be 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."
According to the governor's office, JS Link America Inc.'s new manufacturing facility will be located at the Muscogee Technology Park in Columbus, an east Columbus industrial park. The 130,000-square-foot facility is expected to have an annual production capacity of 3,000 tons.
Operations are expected to begin in late 2027. The company will be hiring for engineering, production, construction, administrative and management roles. Interested individuals can learn more about working at JS Link America Inc. at en.jslink.co.kr.
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