About Magna-Power
Powering innovation since 1981
1981
Founded
115
Employees
73,500
sq-ft USA Facility
10,000+
Customers
50,000+
Products Delivered
40+
Countries Served
Our Mission
To design and deliver rugged programmable power products, built in the USA to the highest quality standards through a vertically integrated manufacturing process.
Delivery of 1,500 kW programmable DC power supply system to NASA for future propulsion systems
Our Vision
What 40+ years of power electronics looks like
We build everything from 1.25 kW rack-mount units to 10+ MW systems out of our Flemington, NJ facility. Over 250,000 configurations, all designed, built, and tested under one roof. The result of four decades of focus and 100% organic development.
Modular Product Architecture
Our current-fed power processing topology serves as a unified building block across every product series — from 1.5 kW rack-mount units to 10 MW+ water-cooled systems. This platform-based approach means engineering and production workflows scale together: the same core design, control architecture, and manufacturing processes extend across 250,000+ configurations without starting from scratch. The result is faster development cycles, field-proven reliability at every power level, and custom solutions that draw on decades of production data.
Vertically Integrated Manufacturing
Every critical manufacturing process runs under one roof at our 73,500 sq-ft Flemington, NJ headquarters. CNC machining centers, wire EDM, turret punch and press brake operations, robotic heat sink assembly, in-house magnetics winding, advanced SMT and through-hole PCB lines, powder coating, and proprietary high-power test stations — all operating within a single production flow. This level of integration gives us direct control over quality, cost, and lead-time on every made-to-order product we ship.
Uncompromising Quality
Every product is built to order and tested on proprietary high-power test stations before it leaves our facility. Eight dedicated test bays, backed by over 1 MW of load bank capacity and automated test software, verify performance against specification on every unit. Combined with controlled in-house processes — from raw material through final assembly — this closed-loop approach delivers consistent, repeatable quality across thousands of products shipped each year.
Power Electronics Expertise
Magna-Power has spent four decades pushing the boundaries of programmable power. Our engineering team has driven innovations in current-fed topologies, harmonic neutralization, and high-density packaging — achieving industry-leading power-to-size ratios across a product line spanning 1.25 kW to over 10 MW. That depth of experience, applied across 250,000+ product SKUs with delivery to customers in 40+ countries, is what turns complex power requirements into proven, production-ready solutions.
Our History
Magna-Power's Story: A Timeline of Innovation
From its beginnings as a research and development firm in a home basement to a vertically integrated global manufacturer, Magna-Power Electronics has been defined by key technological pivots, strategic manufacturing decisions, and a commitment to reinvestment.
Additional details can be found in: The History of Magna-Power Electronics, IEEE Industry Applications Magazine, Volume 23, Issue 1 (January 2017)
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From Basement R&D to Official Founding
Throughout the 1970s, Dr. Ira J. Pitel builds his expertise in power electronics, working at pioneering companies like Lutron and GTE Sylvania while earning his Master's and Ph.D. degrees. After working at Bell Laboratories and Exxon Enterprises, he leverages his growing reputation and private consulting work to officially establish Magna-Power Electronics (MPE) in 1981. The new R&D company operates from the 1,100 sq. ft. basement of his home in Morristown, NJ, where he designs custom power supplies and magnetic components, famously using the family oven to bake transformers.
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A Pivotal Grant and First Headquarters
A Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a 5 kW solar inverter system provides the impetus for MPE to move into its first dedicated commercial facility in Whippany, NJ. Though the solar project itself did not continue, it was a critical turning point. It established a formal place of business and, most importantly, the AC-DC power supply and controllable load built to test the inverter became the foundational prototypes for MPE's future product lines.
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Entry into the Power Supply Market
MPE forms a manufacturing partnership called Powertron to manufacture and sell the PX Series, a 10 kW AC-DC power supply. In this partnership, MPE would engineer the products and the partner company would build the products. When a crucial, time-sensitive order for multiple units from IBM's personal computer division arises, Dr. Pitel takes on the production himself. This dissolves the partnership and firmly establishes MPE as a power supply manufacturer.
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Gearing Up for Manufacturing
To support its growing manufacturing operations, MPE relocates to a 6,000 sq. ft. factory in Boonton, NJ. The new space allows for a dedicated production line for its PX Series, a stockroom, and better facilities for in-house fabrication like welding and painting. While the company was building its standard product offerings, MPE's primary business remained contract R&D and custom manufacturing of its designs for specialized applications, including electrostatic precipitators and various power electronics for the US Air Force. This contract work provided the steady revenue needed to invest in the company's future as a product manufacturer.
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Computer Control and High-Power Focus
During this pivotal period, MPE made major advances in both user control and power processing technology. MPE introduced its first computer interface, the external SBC488 control box. This external 1U add-on provided programmability over industry-standard RS232 and IEEE-488 (GPIB) interfaces, giving customers the ability to remotely control and monitor their power supplies for the first time. With much competition in the low-power space (1-10 kW) from EMI and Power Ten, a strategy was formed to start grabbing market-share from the top. MPE delivered its first 100 kW TQ Series, a product that utilized a phase-controlled SCR front end, into a medium-frequency link current-source inverter.
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The IGBT Revolution and Current-Fed Topology
MPE introduced a technological shift that would define its future products with the release of the rack-mount PQ Series. This was the company's first product built on modern Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) using a current-fed power processing topology. The high-performance, power-dense IGBT platform represented a major leap from older SCR-based designs and became the foundational building block for the next decade of product development, cementing MPE's reputation for innovation.
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Modular Design and Strategic Partnerships
MPE uses the PQ Series as a modular building block for new, higher-power product lines (SQ Series, MQ Series). To accelerate market penetration, MPE enters into a crucial Private Label agreement for American Reliance, Inc. (AMREL) and later Chroma ATE Inc. These partnerships allows MPE to focus its resources on R&D and manufacturing while the partners handles sales and marketing.
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Powering the Dreamliner
MPE was approached by United Technologies (UTC) in 2003 to provide 400 kW power supplies for testing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s auxiliary equipment. MPE developed a high-power chopper and IGBT inverter front-end, creating a line of high-frequency switched-mode power supplies at 100 kW and 150 kW. Following joint research with Prasad Enjeti, Ph.D. of Texas A&M University, a product line of harmonic neutralizers was developed to reduce total harmonic distortion for higher-power systems to maintain AC power quality. The MT Series was released, becoming the highest-power standard product switch-mode supply on the market and was quickly adopted by aerospace companies worldwide.
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A New Home in Flemington, New Jersey
Having outgrown its Boonton facilities, MPE purchases 7 acres of land and moves to a custom-built 27,500 sq. ft. manufacturing headquarters in Flemington, NJ. While the transition was challenging and caused initial production delays, it provided the necessary space and power infrastructure for future expansion.
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Insourcing and High-Density Power
During the economic recession, MPE seizes the opportunity to acquire manufacturing equipment at a low cost, beginning an aggressive push toward vertical integration by bringing sheet metal fabrication in-house. This strategy reduces costs, shortens lead times, and increases design flexibility. The company also releases the 2U XR Series, which sets a new industry benchmark for power density and marks the first product line not offered through private label partners.
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Building the Magna-Power Brand
MPE begins building its own direct sales representative network across the US and internationally under the Magna-Power brand. This shift away from private label dependency proves timely. Shortly after, AMETEK, Inc. acquires AMREL's power division, and MPE decides to end the private label relationship, having made inroads with its own channels. Responding to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, MPE develops its Photovoltaic Power Profile Emulation (PPPE) software, specifically targeting the growing solar inverter testing market, providing the industry's widest range of solar array emulators.
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Facility Expansion
Magna-Power breaks ground on a 29,000 sq-ft expansion of its Flemington headquarters, more than doubling the manufacturing facility from 27,500 to 56,500 sq-ft. The same year, the company achieves an industry-leading standard 2-week lead-time on its products, a direct result of vertical integration and investment in automation. Soon after, a third expansion phase adds another 16,780 sq-ft, bringing Magna-Power's headquarters to its current 73,530 sq-ft footprint — a purpose-built facility housing all engineering, manufacturing, and service operations under one roof.
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New Product Category and Industry Recognition
Magna-Power enters the DC electronic load market with the launch of MagnaLOAD, a completely new product line spanning 1.25 kW to 100 kW+. The same year, the company is awarded the 2016 New Jersey Manufacturer of the Year, coinciding with its 35th anniversary.
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Second-Generation Leadership
Adam Pitel and Grant Pitel, Ph.D. assume leadership of Magna-Power Electronics as CEO and CTO, marking a second-generation transition. Adam, who joined the company in 2008, built Magna-Power's global distribution network spanning 40+ countries and established international sales offices in Germany, the United Kingdom, and China. Grant, holding a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in digital control and power electronics, joined in 2010 and transformed the company's technology roadmap, pioneering digital control across the product line and creating the MagnaLOAD DC electronic load platform.
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Digital Sales Transformation
Now a recognized name in the industry, and after COVID reshapes the sales landscape, Magna-Power goes primarily factory-direct and builds a custom e-commerce platform. Built-in configurators let customers spec, quote, and order from over 250,000 product SKUs online — a first in the industry. Each order flows directly into a production work order, closing the loop from customer configuration to factory floor.
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The Next Generation Power Supply
Magna-Power launches the SLx Series, a ground-up next-generation 1U programmable DC power supply platform with a fully digital architecture. The SLx Series launches with native industrial communications offering, including CANopen, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, ModbusTCP, and LXI TCP/IP Ethernet, USB and RS485. The SLx Series also launches with MagnaCTRL, a state-of-the-art software platform for multi-product control across xGen product families.
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Megawatt-Scale Power
Magna-Power releases the ML Series, its highest-power product line, with 500 kW and 1,000 kW models scalable to 10 MW, with efficiency up to 96%. The ML Series is a ground-up redesign, water cooled, built for ultra-high power density, addressing growing demands in aerospace, hydrogen electrolyzers, and defense.
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Founder Elected to National Academy of Engineering
Dr. Ira J. Pitel, Magna-Power's founder, is elected to the National Academy of Engineering — one of the highest professional distinctions awarded to an engineer, recognizing his lifetime of contributions to power electronics innovation and American manufacturing.
From startups to the world's largest companies
Thousands of companies in over 40 countries rely on Magna-Power to power their innovation, manufacturing, products, and research.
Our Facilities
Advanced manufacturing under one roof
Company-owned, custom-designed 73,500 sq-ft facility housing Magna-Power's vertically integrated operations.
Headquarters
Flemington, New Jersey
39 Royal Road
Flemington, NJ 08822
United States of America
Vertically Integrated USA Manufacturing
Magna-Power Electronics products are proudly made in the USA at the company's headquarters in Flemington, New Jersey. All engineering, manufacturing and North America product servicing is performed at the company's headquarters.
With significant investment in machinery, automation, and processes, Magna-Power utilizes vertical integration for complete control over quality, cost, and lead-time of its made-to-order products.
Leadership
Meet Our Team
The people behind Magna-Power's continuous innovation in programmable power.
Our Culture
Great Team, Great Workplace
Every product that leaves our facility reflects the dedication, craftsmanship, and technical expertise of the Magna-Power team.
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