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Chinese battery manufacturer TWS ramps up investment in European engineering

Chinese battery manufacturer TWS ramps up investment in European engineering

Market news |
By eeNews Europe



Founded in 1998 and based in Guangzhou in China, the company has a monthly production volume of over eight million lithium-ion battery packs that go into mobile phones, laptops and tablet computers.

It is now investing in European engineering expertise to spearhead its drive into new markets such as e-bikes and pedelecs; energy storage systems for telecoms equipment; power tools; and electric vehicles. The new investment has funded the recruitment of five additional engineers at the Stirling design centre, joining the three engineers on staff when the centre started up at the end of 2011.

While most investment flows in the electronics industry are into China, TWS’ decision to recruit additional European staff is a striking example of Chinese investment coming in the reverse direction.
The engineering design centre in Stirling is being enlarged to meet demand for TWS’ advanced battery management technology. Large (typically 2-50kWh) lithium battery packs require sophisticated battery management systems (BMS) to provide safety, protection, charging and cell-balancing functions.

Proprietary BMS technology developed at the design centre in Stirling provides superior performance in applications that require extended run-times between charges and long operating lifetime before replacement. Demand for such technology from European manufacturers of automotive, renewable energy, medical and other equipment is rising fast.
The centre is a complete design-and-test facility for custom lithium power packs, offering turnkey development of power packs and BMS. Volume production of customers’ power packs takes place in Guangzhou, using lithium cells manufactured by TWS or by third parties. As well as the Stirling engineering design centre, TWS’ facilities in Europe include a regional headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, and a local sales office in London, UK.

Gordon Clements, Managing Director of TWS (Europe), said: ‘TWS is the fastest-growing player in the battery-pack market and a phenomenal success story in the 15 years since it was founded. This investment in European engineering marks a new phase in the company’s development, as it brings the benefits of its advanced and proprietary technology to markets in which Europe is particularly strong, such as automotive, medical electronics and renewable energy generation.’

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