Valmet Automotive has announced plans to develop its first battery factory in Germany. Based in Kirchardt, the new facility will begin pre-series production of battery systems for electrically powered vehicles in the first half of 2022.
The new battery factory will be the company’s third. It already has one in operation in Salo, Finland, with a second one currently under construction directly attached to the Valmet car plant in Uusikaupunki, also in Finland. Production in Uusikaupunki is scheduled to start in the second half of 2021.
At Kirchardt, Valmet will have 11,500m2 of production space available. The decision to build a third battery factory follows the company’s recent nomination as a Tier 1 system supplier by a German car manufacturer. Part of the contract is to produce the battery packs close to the customer in order to save resources and avoid unnecessary transportation.
“The decision to build our third battery factory in Germany is the next important step to establish Valmet Automotive as a Tier 1 system supplier of battery systems and modules,” explained Olaf Bongwald, CEO, Valmet Automotive. “The Kirchardt site is perfect as it allows us to produce close to some of our important customers, but also to our engineering location and battery test center in Bad Friedrichshall.”