John Maslin
Rare earth magnets are the silent force behind the modern world, found in everything from fighter jets and electric vehicles to smartphones, satellites, and data centers. In this episode of Coffee with Ken, Ken Biberaj visits Vulcan Elements in North Carolina’s Research Triangle to explore the critical role rare earth magnets play in American manufacturing, and why the U.S. must act now to secure its supply chain.
Filmed inside Vulcan’s 20,000-square-foot pilot facility, the conversation features John Maslin, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Vulcan Elements. A U.S. Navy veteran and Harvard Business School graduate, Maslin shares how his mission-driven company is taking on China’s dominance in magnet production, currently over 90% of the global supply, by building smarter, faster, and right here in the United States.
With clarity, conviction, and urgency, John recounts his journey from the military to launching one of the country’s most promising clean tech and defense manufacturing startups. What began as a classroom idea is now a full-scale operation poised to reshape global supply chains and lead the next chapter of advanced U.S. manufacturing.
Rare earth magnets are the spine of modern tech, essential to motion, performance, and power across industries. Their scarcity poses a real national security threat.
Vulcan’s mission isn’t just to compete with China, it’s to leapfrog them. John explains how innovation, not imitation, is the key to a smarter, faster, more resilient future.
John’s team is guided by purpose: restoring industrial capability and protecting national security. At Vulcan, manufacturing is service, and scale is strategy.
From technicians to AI-driven systems, the factory of the future depends on people who can think in code and work with their hands.
Chips, batteries, and magnets. Miss one, and we lose the foundation of innovation. John makes the case that magnets are the unsung third pillar of 21st-century tech.
At a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty and industrial fragility, this episode highlights what it takes to rebuild capability from the ground up. It’s about supply chains, yes, but it’s also about purpose, people, and the grit required to lead.
“This company is built for America and its allies. If the United States and its friends cannot figure out this supply chain, we lose.” , John Maslin, CEO of Vulcan Elements
John Maslin
About
the Guest
John Maslin
CEO & Co-Founder, Vulcan Elements
John Maslin is Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Vulcan Elements, a rare earth magnet manufacturer in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. A U.S. Navy veteran and Harvard Business School graduate, he founded Vulcan to rebuild domestic magnet production and counter China’s dominance of the global supply chain, with the mission of restoring industrial capability for America and its allies.
