HyProMag Commissions Hard Drive Magnet Recycling Facility

New South Carolina plant aims to recover rare earth magnets from up to 60,000 hard drives per week.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 9:41am

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A highly textured, abstract painting in soft earth tones of green, brown, and grey, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circular forms, and precise botanical or physical spirals, conceptually representing the complex process of rare earth magnet recovery from electronic waste.An innovative recycling process extracts rare earth magnets from discarded hard drives, recovering critical materials for the next generation of sustainable technology.Williston Today

HyProMag USA LLC has hosted a commissioning event for its new Inserma hard disk drive magnet separation system installed at an electronics recycling facility in Williston, South Carolina. The system, operated by partner Intelligent Lifecycle Solutions (ILS), can separate magnet assemblies from up to 60,000 hard drives per week using automated technology developed at the University of Birmingham in the UK.

Why it matters

Recovering rare earth magnets from electronic waste is crucial for supporting domestic manufacturing of technologies like electric vehicles, robotics, and data center infrastructure that rely on these critical materials. HyProMag's new facility in South Carolina represents an important step in building out a U.S. supply chain for recycled rare earth magnets.

The details

The Williston site houses two automated Inserma pre-processing units that can separate magnet assemblies from end-of-life hard disk drives in about 3 seconds per drive. This feedstock will then be supplied to HyProMag's planned rare earth magnet recycling and manufacturing hub in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. HyProMag's HPMS technology, developed over 15 years with over $100 million in R&D funding, enables faster 'magnet-to-magnet' recycling with 88% less energy use and 85% lower carbon emissions compared to existing methods.

  • HyProMag USA reached a feedstock supply and preprocessing site share agreement with ILS in 2025.
  • The Williston site commissioning event took place on April 9, 2026.

The players

HyProMag USA LLC

A company that intends to use technology developed in the United Kingdom to harvest rare earth magnet recycling materials from obsolete items.

Intelligent Lifecycle Solutions (ILS)

An electronics recycling company that operates the Williston, South Carolina facility where HyProMag's Inserma pre-processing units are installed.

Congressman Joe Wilson

A federal representative who highlighted the importance of expanding domestic capabilities in critical materials and advanced manufacturing at the commissioning event.

Julian Treger

The CEO of Canada-based CoTec Holdings Corp., a financial supporter of HyProMag USA.

Graham Davy

The CEO of ILS, who expressed pride in hosting the commissioning at the Williston facility and collaborating with HyProMag USA.

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What they’re saying

“This investment demonstrates how South Carolina continues to attract innovative companies to build the technologies that will power the next generation of American manufacturing – creating jobs. Rare earth minerals are critical to our national security, and we must take control of our domestic manufacturing and supply chains to protect American interests.”

— Congressman Joe Wilson

“Partnership and community support are essential as we work to establish a new domestic platform for rare earth magnet recycling and manufacturing in the United States. Through collaborations with companies like ILS and strong engagement with local stakeholders, HyProMag USA is building the feedstock supply chains and operational capabilities needed to support large-scale magnet production in the years ahead.”

— Julian Treger, CEO, CoTec Holdings Corp.

“We're proud to host this commissioning at our Williston facility and to work alongside HyProMag USA to advance rare earth magnet recycling in the United States. By deploying advanced separation technology at this site, we're expanding our ability to recover critical materials from end-of-life electronics and prepare them for the next stage of recycling and manufacturing.”

— Graham Davy, CEO, Intelligent Lifecycle Solutions

What’s next

HyProMag USA plans to open its rare earth magnet recycling and manufacturing hub in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas region in the coming years, leveraging the feedstock supply and pre-processing capabilities established at the Williston, South Carolina facility.

The takeaway

HyProMag's new hard drive magnet recycling plant in South Carolina represents a significant step forward in building a domestic supply chain for critical rare earth materials. By deploying advanced separation technology, the company is helping to recover these valuable resources from electronic waste and prepare them for reuse in a wide range of high-tech applications.