Rechargeable lithium battery manufacturer BMZ to invest 5 million Euros into Europe-based automated production plant
The company says it will be possible to almost fully automatically assemble, weld and test up to 200,000 rechargeable batteries for individual customer requirements annually in the 800 m² of the large new production facility’s first expansion stage. The added capacity plant is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2014. The investment costs are estimated to be around 5 million Euros according to BMZ GmbH.
BMZ founder and sole proprietor Sven Bauer sees the significant extension of production capacity at the Karlstein location as a further important milestone on the way to become one of the globally leading specialists for intelligent rechargeable battery solutions.
“A German company which wants to attain a long-term internationally top-ranking position in such an important future market as mobile energy supplies should not only rely on its innovative product ideas and its system expertise. With our highly efficient, highly automated rechargeable battery pack production facility we want to prove that BMZ in Germany is internationally competitive in all respects from a manufacturing point of view”, explains Bauer.
The aim of the future production processes is to combine the highest possible degree of quality and safety with maximum speed and flexibility, explains Bauer. Individual production steps such as feeding the cells, the placement of the cell holders and also the welding of cell connectors by resistance welding are divided into several interchangeable production cells in order to be able to make any necessary future adjustments with a minimum of subsequent time and effort. Inverter welding machines guarantee continuously high welding quality with precise monitoring of the process. Subsequent tests of the batteries are virtually completely automated apart from a few exceptions which depend on the type and configuration of the respective battery packs.
A high degree of safety and flexibility is additionally guaranteed by the integrated ID of the customer-specific workpiece holders with all relevant individual parameters and necessary production steps. The recording of all pack-related data by individual production stations and its unique assignment to the respective product guarantees the seamless traceability of every single battery produced.
The first expansion stage of the new production facility is already designed for a variety of battery sizes in the 200 g to 3 kg weight range. This enables both small units for domestic appliances and big batteries for e-bikes to be produced. Battery expert Bauer, who the renowned consulting company Ernst & Young recently elected Entrepreneur of the Year 2012, regards this as an important competitive advantage. “The modular approach guarantees not only the largest possible flexibility with production planning and optimized utilization of production capacities but also contributes to further raising the quality of our products – all important pre-conditions to help consistently consolidate BMZ’s position as the leading European system supplier for intelligent lithium rechargeable battery solutions.”
Visit BMZ GmbH at www.bmz-gmbh.de
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