VARTA AG today officially laid the foundation stone for the expansion of its production at the company’s production site in Nördlingen, Germany. The new building, which connects directly to the existing plant, will provide a production area of more than 15,000 square meters on two floors.
“In Nördlingen, we are building the most modern
lithium-ion battery cell factory for the large growth market of wearables and the Internet of things”,
VARTA AG CEO Herbert Schein says. “It is unique in the world. We will expand the
CoinPower cell production at the Nördlingen location once more. This building will mark another milestone in our growth plans through innovative factory planning, taking, amongst other things, CO2 consumption into account.”
According to Schein, only a few months lay between planning of the expansion and the start of actual construction. “It is this speed, from idea to implementation, that is at the core of VARTA AG’s success. Speed in innovation and implementation will be the decisive factors in the future, especially in the face of our international competitors. And it is the partnership with the region that enables us to develop and produce technology here that is unparalleled anywhere in the world.”
The
battery is already one of the key technologies for Germany and Europe, and its further development will be funded as part of a so-called
important project of common European interest (IPCEI), a press release states. The
Federal State of Bavaria is contributing 32 million euros for the research and development of
lithium-
ion technology at the Nördlingen site, and the federal government is contributing another 70 million euros.
In total, VARTA AG receives more than 300 million euros in funding from the federal and state governments. Construction of the 91 meter long, 98 meter wide and 22.5 meter high, three-story building in Nördlingen started at the beginning of the year. An official celebration of the laying of the foundation stone had to be postponed due to the restrictions caused by the corona pandemic.
About VARTA AG
VARTA AG produces and markets a comprehensive battery portfolio that ranges from microbatteries, household batteries and energy storage systems all the way to customer-specific battery solutions for a wide range of uses, setting the industry standards as technology leader in many important areas. As the parent company of the Group, it is active in the ‘Microbatteries & Solutions’ and ‘Household Batteries’ business segments. The ‘Microbatteries & Solutions’ segment focuses on the OEM business for microbatteries and the lithium-ion battery pack business. Through intensive research and development, VARTA sets the global standards in the microbatteries segment and is a recognized innovation leader in the important growth markets lithium-ion technology and primary hearing aid batteries. The ‘Household Batteries’ segment covers the battery business for end customers, including household batteries, rechargeable batteries, chargers, portable power (power banks), lights and energy storage systems. The VARTA AG Group, headquartered in Ellwangen, currently employs more than 4,000 staff. VARTA AG’s operating subsidiaries are currently active in more than 75 countries around the world, with five production and assembly facilities in Europe and Asia as well as distribution centers in Asia, Europe and the USA.
