Washington, D.C. — Vulcan Elements’ CEO John Maslin joined Building the Base podcast hosts former Under Secretary of the Navy (Performing the Duties of) James “Hondo” Guerts and Lauren Bedula to discuss the rare earth magnet supply chain and Vulcan’s strategy to secure and onshore it. The key takeaway: the United States and industry need to invest today in a robust, traceable, and domestic magnet manufacturing base.
Building the Base is an in-depth series of conversations with top entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders from tech, financial, industrial, and public sectors. Its guests provide their unique perspectives on a range of topics, including: shaping our future national security industrial base, the impact of disruptive technologies, how new startups can increasingly contribute to national security, and practical tips on leadership and personal development whether in government or the private sector.
Five additional key takeaways from the discussion:
- Rare earth magnets are essential “invisible building blocks” of our economy, found in virtually all electronic devices from smartphones to MRIs, as well as critical defense applications – yet China currently manufactures over 90% of the global supply while the U.S. produces less than 1%.
- The rare earth challenge isn’t primarily about access to raw materials but rather about processing and manufacturing capabilities, with China having made a strategic decades-long investment that has given them near-complete control of this critical supply chain.
- Transitioning from government service to entrepreneurship, Maslin emphasizes the importance of mission-driven leadership when tackling strategic manufacturing challenges that are “too important to fail.”
- Scaling domestic manufacturing of critical components requires addressing three fundamental challenges: developing skilled technical workforces, streamlining permitting processes, and creating manufacturing champions who can build complete ecosystems.
- For maintaining resilience as a founder in the challenging manufacturing space, Maslin recommends focusing on first principles, expectation management with stakeholders, and surrounding yourself with mission-driven team members who understand the strategic importance of the work.
Listen to the full conversation: https://buildingthebase.org/episode/supply-chains-win-wars-rare-earth-magnets-with-john-maslin-ceo-vulcan-elements
Vulcan Elements manufactures permanent sintered NdFeB magnets for critical defense and commercial applications. Vulcan Elements is committed to strengthening the domestic rare earth magnet supply chain by advancing technological innovations, galvanizing America’s manufacturing workforce, and collaborating with public and private sector stakeholders.
For further inquiries, please contact: Jonah Glick-Unterman
Chief of Staff
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