To say that some big things are happening at
Niowave, the Lansing-based manufacturer of superconducting accelerators is an understatement. The company will break ground this week on a $10 million expansion. The new, 15,000 square foot building will be called the Niowave Electron Research and Development Facility.
“The industry we’re in continues to grow,” says Jerry Hollister, chief operating officer for Niowave, “and we’re only one of two domestic suppliers of superconducting accelerators.”
Niowave is about to hold an even more exclusive position, as the world’s only manufacturer of commercially available accelerators.
“Right now,” says Hollister, “there’s nobody in the world you call up and say, ‘I need a superconductor.’ That’s becoming untrue as we’re putting finishing touches on a commercial device.”
The commercial superconducting accelerators should be available by the end of the year, and will retail for about $10 million, compared to the $100 million the devices have cost in the past.
Niowave has been growing internally as well. Ten new employees were hired last year, and Hollister expects to add 10 to 15 additional jobs before the end of the year.
It’s not just luck that Niowave is having such success in Lansing. According to Hollister, the Lansing area is one of the few places in the world where this type of work is possible.
“The intellectual capability is here with MSU,” he says, “but what makes it unique is we also have the manufacturing capability that nobody else has.”
Hollister expects the Electron Research and Development Facility to be complete in June, with investment in the facility continuing for the next three years.
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