Valmet Automotive has opened a new battery factory in Finland

The company sees expansion into battery production as an essential part of the further long-term development of the Uusikaupunki site. Photo: Valmet Automotive

The direction CEO Olaf Bungwald set when he took over at Valmet Automotive in 2018 is unmistakable: The car manufacturer is set to become a Tier 1 supplier with a clear focus on e-mobility will. Part of this entry-level course is building your production capabilities for battery systems and modules. distance to me Production began in Salou, Finland, at the former Nokia factory in 2019 The starting injection has now been given to production at the main plant in Osikaupunki.

The company asserts that the new battery plant shares a roof with the OEM car manufacturing contract, meaning a mix of battery manufacturing units and battery systems as well as electric vehicles can be found there. At the Uusikaupunki battery plant, production on four production lines is planned, which will be put into operation in phases by 2024. According to Valmette, the total investment in the battery plant is about 120 million euros. The company labels about 500,000 battery units and battery packs annually for production capacity. Initially, about 200 people are expected to be involved in battery production, and the number is expected to increase to about 500 in 2024.

In addition to the volume of production of battery systems and battery modules at two Finnish sites in Salou and Osikaupunki, The company announces the opening of a third plant in Kirchhardt, Germany for 2022. While sales in the electric vehicle systems division were less than one million euros in 2018, Valmet Automotive expects to cross the one billion mark in this segment in 2022.”The strong need for additional production capacity is demonstrated by the three battery production contracts we have already received for our new plant in Osikaupunki.said Jerky Nurmi, senior vice president of EV Systems.