Nördlingen expands lithium-ion production

"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.