Valmet Automotive has set a target of becoming a key player both as a contract battery manufacturer and as a Tier 1 system supplier.
The company which is a Tier 1 system supplier for roofs and kinematic systems sees battery systems as the essential growth business as there is a fast growing demand for batteries.
It and expects sales from the Electric Vehicles (EV) batteries business to reach the level or even surpass that of vehicle contract manufacturing within the next few years.
The target is based on the continuous growth in demand for batteries and company’s capacity in engineering and manufacturing of 48 V and high-voltage batteries for Plug-in and for All-electric vehicles.
The growth will focus on the EV Systems business line with its battery system engineering and manufacturing services, but the company strategy emphasizes the importance of e-mobility in all business lines.
Valmet Automotive’s EV Systems business line, founded in 2018 is expanding and employs today about 300 people in Finland and 50 people in Germany. The business line is responsible for entire battery system value chain, including engineering, manufacturing, testing services and customer relations.
Valmet also has also entered into a strategic partnership in 2017 with Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), a global provider of battery and energy storage solutions. Simultaneously CATL has subscribed to new shares issued by Valmet Automotive for a 22 % ownership in the company.
Series production of the first battery system developed by Valmet Automotive began in 2018 at the Uusikaupunki battery plant, and the high-volume Salo battery plant, currently ramping up production to new record levels, was started in 2019. In February 2020, a battery test center was opened in Bad Friedrichshall, Germany.
