10/01/2020 07:30:00 CEST Total order volume of more than EUR 20 million in the Energy Storage segment | Most of the order will affect revenues and earnings in 2021 | Gradual expansion of the line for mass production of battery cells with an annual capacity of 10 GWh planned
Manz AG, a global high-tech engineering company with an extensive technology portfolio, has received an order with a total volume of more than EUR 20 million from Slovakian R&D and battery production company InoBat Auto. The order includes integrated production equipment for setting up a pilot production line for stacked Li-Ion pouch cells for electric vehicles. The annual capacity of the line near Bratislava will be 100 MWh. The research and development center as well as the pilot line will be put into operation at the end of 2021. The gradual expansion of the production capacity of Li-Ion battery cells with an annual capacity of 10 GWh is planned by 2024.
With the order from InoBat, Manz is continuing its positive business development in the Energy Storage segment in fiscal year 2020. With over 30 years of experience in process development and production technology for wound and stacked Li-ion battery cells and modules, Manz is benefiting from the strong growth momentum in the field of electromobility.
Martin Drasch, CEO of Manz AG, comments: “We are proud to support our Slovakian client InoBat in the important step of setting up a pilot line to achieve its growth targets. Thus, we are positioning ourselves as a leading European solution provider and development partner in the field of battery technology shortly before the allocation of the European Commission's large-scale funding projects, so-called Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI). I am convinced that this European initiative will offer Manz even greater potential in the future.”
With its location in Slovakia, Manz AG is located in the heart of the European automotive industry. Jürgen Knie, COO of Manz AG and long-standing Managing Director of Manz Slovakia, adds: "Numerous automotive OEMs and suppliers are located within a radius of just a few hundred kilometers of our Slovakian location. Measured by the number of inhabitants, Slovakia produces the most cars worldwide. With InoBat we have gained an important customer in the immediate vicinity of our Slovakian engineering and production site. Of course we are very pleased about this. Thanks to our established structure, we are also excellently positioned for other customers in the entire Eastern European region. We see very good opportunities to further benefit from the current dynamics in Europe and worldwide.”
Marian Bocek, CEO and Co-Founder of InoBat, commented: “InoBat is one of the global leaders in battery innovation, and through strategic partnerships with companies like Manz, we move another step closer to producing the most advanced batteries directly in the heart of Europe. We are excited to work with Manz on our R&D centre in Voderady, Slovakia – a truly European partnership which will not only enhance Europe’s bid for technological sovereignty but also reaffirm our ambition for a fully European supply chain. This will be vital to accelerating the electrification of transport.”