The Walker Story

 The story began in 1896 with Oakley S. Walker, the inventor of the electromagnetic chuck, and his founding of the O.S. Walker Company in Worcester, Massachusetts. Over the next century, the company would grow to become the largest company in the world providing custom design and manufacture of magnetic products for workholding, lifting, material handling, scrap magnets and separation applications.

Mr. Walker’s electromagnetic chuck was successful because it met a need and solved a problem. Walker Magnetics continues to meet customers’ needs, providing magnetic solutions for a vast range of practical industry challenges. Walker designs and manufactures the widest range of permanent, electromagnetic and electro-permanent magnetic products and systems for industrial applications in the world.

In 2021, Walker Magnetics joined the Industrial Magnetics, Inc. family which is headquartered in Boyne City. MI. This 60-year old firm is renowned as an industry leader for designing, engineering and manufacturing standard and custom permanent and electromagnet equipment for work holding, lifting, fixturing, conveying, metal separation and more. The IMI corporate umbrella includes Sterling Systems and Controls, Inc. and Prater Industries, Inc. Our ‘sister companies’ compliment and enhance our capabilities as we provide industry leading bulk processing solutions.

What We Do

The need for reliable and safe industrial magnets cannot be overstated. When you invest in magnetic lifting solutions for your company, you want durable industrial magnets that will last for years. You want to be sure they will keep performing as you need them to, even under tough industrial conditions, while putting your employees at a minimum of risk.

That’s exactly what you’ll get from Walker Magnetics. With a history dating back over 100 years, our reputation for quality is beyond question. We have prospered so long by continuously researching the best ways to provide safe industrial magnets to the companies that need them. Our lifting magnets are useful for moving bar stock, plates, pipe, hot steel, coils, billets, structural, rails, scrap, and more. We even have specially designed radiation detecting magnets for companies where radiation hazards exist.