“Building a gigafactory is the first step—but getting it up and running is highly complex. As a greenfield expert, we have supported the ramp-up of 20 gigafactories and electric vehicle factories in Europe, the USA and Asia in recent years. The biggest levers lie in the standardization and industrialization of production processes, flanked by data-driven measures and continuous improvements,” explains Dr. Christoph Jaschinski, Senior Vice President Global Business Development at Leadec.
Dependencies in the production process
The production chain for batteries consists of 14 steps that take place one after the other. Although the production process is well defined, there are a number of complex and sensitive dependencies between these steps that complicate the ramp-up.
A common problem is that international suppliers have only limited knowledge of local regulations and requirements (e.g., CE certification). In addition, there is little standardization in product and production technology, as the manufacturing process is not yet sufficiently industrialized. This in turn results in quality defects in the product, such as an excessively high particle density. And finally, nothing works without qualified employees in the factory, who are supported from the outset by well-functioning processes such as logistics or maintenance.
“Leadec has many years of greenfield experience in the automotive industry, so we can guarantee a fast and cost-effective ramp-up, especially with several parallel plant start-ups in battery production. In this phase, we focus primarily on approval procedures and machine acceptance, the industrialization of the production process, a stable supply chain and employee training. We can then support ongoing operations with additional services,” explains Dr. Christoph Jaschinski.
Future Battery Forum in Berlin
Learn more about “Accelerating gigafactory ramp-up with greenfield support” in his presentation at the Innovation Stage on November 5, 2024, at the Future Battery Forum. The event for the European battery industry will take place in Berlin on November 5 and 6, 2024.
During the two-day conference, Leadec will be presenting its services along the entire battery value chain at stand A06. This includes production planning, start-up support, maintenance of assembly lines, resources for pre-assembly and delivery logistics as well as repair or disassembly in our battery competence center in Hoyerswerda.
