Valmet Automotive: First Battery Production in Germany
Grand opening in Baden-Württemberg: In the presence of more than 100 guests, including Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Transport Winfried Hermann, Valmet Automotive inaugurated its first battery line in Germany. According to Valmet Automotive, the total investment in the plant in Kirchardt near Heilbronn (thus located in the heart of leading German premium OEMs) amounts to a higher double-digit million-euro figure. After a two-year conversion phase, battery systems for electromobility have been produced at the location since February 2023. The starting point was a small-series production of modules, packs, and the battery management system (BMS) for the plug-in hybrid variant (PHEV) of an exclusive sports car brand.
With the now completed installation of production equipment for the first major order for another customer, a German OEM, "things are really kicking off at the plant," says Manuel Ötsch, who joined Valmet-Automotive in 2021 as plant manager to set up the Kirchardt plant and now, as Vice President Operations, is responsible for the operation of all of the Finnish supplier's battery plants.
Highly automated production of battery systems
The Kirchardt plant is situated on an area of around 60,000 square meters. In the existing building, Valmet Automotive has established a highly automated production on an area of around 11,500 square meters, providing future-proof jobs for around 160 employees. In line with the company's high sustainability standards, production in Kirchardt has been CO2-neutral from the start.
Two lines for automated production of large and small series are available for production. Process know-how encompasses both module and pack production. Additionally, the plant is characterized by a large manufacturing depth in application processes such as bending, cutting, laser welding, gluing, leak testing, and end-of-line testing procedures.
As in Valmet Automotive's other battery plants, the structures are set up so that all EV plants are integrated into the company's Operating System and follow similar process flows and standards. Projects can, however, be represented holistically autonomously at the respective location. Jyrki Nurmi, Senior Vice President EV Systems, Valmet Automotive, notes:
"With this structure, we ensure uniformly high quality in production, enhance our capabilities in delivering battery systems, and simultaneously create the greatest possible proximity to our customers at their respective locations."
Kirchardt is the company's third battery plant after Salo and Uusikaupunki, both located in Finland, and the first in Germany. The decision to build another battery factory in Germany was made against the backdrop that Valmet Automotive was commissioned by a German automobile manufacturer as a system supplier for a soon-to-be-launched battery program.
A key criterion for the establishment of the plant in Kirchardt was its proximity to the development locations in Munich and Bad Friedrichshall, where the company also operates a battery test center. Another crucial reason was the possibility to quickly expand the production area in Kirchardt by an additional 15,000 square meters. Olaf Bongwald, CEO of Valmet Automotive, commented:
"The opening of our first plant in Germany marks an important step in the internationalization of our company and emphasizes our ambitions to play a leading role in both the production and development of battery systems within Europe."
Valmet Automotive is among the early adopters of electromobility. Starting with the BEV Think City manufactured at the Uusikaupunki plant followed by the Fisker Karma, the Finnish company has had a high level of expertise in the series production of purely electric and electrified vehicles since 2009. With the establishment of the EV Systems business unit in 2018, which encompasses both the development and production of battery systems and modules, the strategic focus in corporate development was placed on electromobility. In the meantime, Valmet Automotive offers products for electromobility in all business areas – Vehicle Contract Manufacturing, EV Systems, and Roof & Kinematic Systems.
Since 2019, Valmet Automotive has already manufactured 1.8 million battery systems
EV Systems covers the entire value chain for battery systems and has now become one of the leading producers of battery systems in Europe. Since the start of production at its first battery plant in Salo in 2019, the company has manufactured around 1.8 million battery systems for hybrid, plug-in, and fully electric vehicles. Transportation Minister Winfried Hermann, representing the state government in Baden-Württemberg, emphasized:
“Our goal as the Ministry of Transport is to ensure that by 2030 every second car is operated in a climate-neutral manner. Therefore, it is very significant for both climate protection and the regional labor market that battery production takes place here.”
Gerd Kreiter, Mayor of Kirchardt, as well as Thomas Weissbrod, Managing Director of Calibrium Real Estate Advisory GmbH, emphasized the always constructive and open collaboration with Valmet Automotive during the planning and construction phase.
What does this mean?
The fact that a battery fabrication facility is being established in Germany, despite the country's gradual deindustrialization, can almost be regarded as a small miracle, especially in the high-wage region of Baden-Württemberg. Regionality counts! Thank you for that!
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