Manz AG receives notification of funding of €70 million

The award is part of the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) to promote research and innovation in the battery value chain. A total of eleven German companies will receive subsidies for their projects, with Manz AG playing a central role as a mechanical engineering company. With the project known as “European Battery Innovation (EuBatIn)”, twelve EU member states will provide a total of up to EUR 2.9 billion in funding for companies in the respective countries in the coming years. Manz Italy will also receive funding in the mid-double-digit million-euro range. The aim with the “European Battery Innovation” project is to develop new technologies and processes that go far beyond the current state of the art and aiming to enable major improvements in terms of performance, safety and environmental protection. The project covers the entire battery value chain, from the extraction of raw materials, through the development and production of battery cells and modules, to recycling and disposal in a circular economy. . “The official awarding of the EuBatIn grants is an immense opportunity for Europe, Germany and Manz AG. Business and politics are now in the unique position to build a competitive battery industry in Europe. Thanks to our overarching expertise in numerous relevant areas, Manz AG acts as an important link in the European battery market. Manz is one of the few European engineering companies that already has extensive experience in the entire value chain of lithium-ion battery production. With our 'Lithium Battery Factory of the Future' project, we intend to develop highly efficient machines and processes for the fully automated production of next-generation lithium-ion batteries. Accordingly, we are also proud that we will play an important role in the further development of this key industry in Europe,” says Martin Drasch, CEO of Manz AG, in a press release. In order to be able to make an effective contribution to the establishment of a sustainable and competitive battery industry in Europe, Manz AG will receive funding of around EUR 70 million for developing projects at its Reutlingen location over the next six years. Funding in the mid-double-digit million-euro range has also been granted for the location in Italy. Of the expected market potential of several billion euros in the field of cell assembly, a significant part is to be covered by the European mechanical engineering industry in the future. To achieve this goal, on the one hand, process costs will be reduced through innovative processes and the use of Industry 4.0 technologies. On the other hand, high productivity and energy efficiency as well as optimised material and space requirements will significantly increase the sustainability of battery production. To enable the production of variants and multiple formats at low cost, the battery production of the future will also be modular and flexible.