Lithium-ion battery maker Saft — a subsidiary of French fossil fuel firm Total— has inaugurated its new electrolyte workshop at Poitiers, France.
Announced last year, the additional 1,900 square metre facility will double the site’s annual production capacity to 1,000 tonnes when production begins early next year.
This project represents an investment of €9 million ($10.6 million) out of a total of €20 million planned for the Poitiers site between 2018 and 2021.
The additional production capacity will allow the site to increase its flexibility to adapt to the strong demand from the Internet of Things sector.
A Saft spokesman told BEST last year the Poitiers plant produced electrolyte for primary battery cells destined for the English and Chinese markets, but to meet demand, the existing plant imported electrolyte from the company’s facilities in Germany and Israel.
Ghislain Lescuyer, CEO of Saft said: “The electrolyte produced by Saft is a unique differentiating factor for our lithium batteries in the face of stiff competition, particularly from Asia. This new facility demonstrates our commitment to continue investing in the future even in this unprecedented economic climate. It will enable us to be even more responsive to our customers’ demands and support innovation in electrolyte technologies.”
Saft opened the 37,000 square meter (400,000 square feet) Poitiers site in 1964.
