Dürr, Grob and Manz present battery concept factory

At the Battery Show Europe, the three medium-sized German companies Dürr, Grob and Manz presented their joint vision of a concept factory for the production of lithium-ion batteries. The concept is part of the joint project to offer complete battery production systems from a single source.

In 2022, Dürr, Grob and Manz entered into the first European cooperation to date in the field of production technology for lithium-ion batteries with the aim of establishing themselves as a European system supplier of complete battery production systems. The three companies are now exhibiting together for the first time at this week’s Battery Show Europe in Stuttgart. The focus is on the jointly developed concept factory.

The background to the cooperation is very simple: with their respective expertise, the three partners have most of the necessary machine and system technology to supply the entire process chain from electrode production to cell assembly and the module through to pack assembly. The three German companies say that the project has been made possible through the combination of their respective skills and resources.

From the outset, the focus was on “above-average process efficiency of the system”, as Dürr states. To achieve this goal, both technical and digital interfaces between the trades of the three partners played a central role. Dürr subsidiary iTAC, an expert in the digitalization of processes, is contributing its MES/MOM solution. “With this, all production steps in battery production can be displayed end-to-end. This includes the control and planning of the entire production process as well as analysis and traceability. The result is the production with high overall system efficiency and the resulting lower operating costs,” the company explains. As a result, the plant can be set up on a smaller footprint and also requires less energy.

In addition to the plant technology, the three partners also offer their customers complete project management, stating, “Everything from a single source means that Dürr, GROB and Manz offer smooth implementation in accordance with proven project management standards. In the background, the companies have an extensive network of suppliers.” The first customer project, which includes a system for electrode production and battery cell assembly, is currently being implemented.

durr.com