What does anyone who wants to produce battery systems economically need to have in addition to cell chemistry? Right, scalable processes. This is why German engineering company Bahmüller is positioning itself as a technology partner for industrial battery pack production. In an exclusive interview with Battery-News, Sales Manager North America Christoph Gasiorek explains the role that industrialization, automation, and process stability play in the competitiveness of battery production – and why many pack manufacturers are increasingly shifting their production from Asia all the way back to Europe.
Battery-News: What does North America, China, and Europe currently distinguish in terms of investment dynamics, industrialization, and automation requirements?
Christoph Gasiorek: The Asian market is strongly driven by price and volume, with a clear focus on investment costs and scaling. In Europe and North America, on the other hand, unit costs are increasingly becoming the focus of attention. It’s not only the purchase of the equipment that is decisive, but long-term process stability, overall equipment effectiveness, and quality throughout the entire service life. Our customers expect scalable automation concepts in which software, data integration, and increasingly AI-supported process monitoring play a crucial role. The goal is to detect fluctuations early on, minimize scrap, and ensure stable series processes.
Battery-News: What will be key to competitiveness within the battery industry over the next five years?
Gasiorek: Five years from now, battery production will be significantly more industrialized than it is today. Competition in pack assembly will be decided primarily by the speed and stability of industrialization. Those who can’t bring new products into series production quickly and reproducibly will lose out. For plant manufacturers, this means modular automation concepts, short ramp-up times, and maximum process stability.
Battery-News: Where do you see global, European, and US battery production in the near future?
Gasiorek: We view this development as fundamentally positive. Europe and the United States have strong industrial foundations, which, with consistent industrialization, can lead to a more stable market balance. This is particularly essential for us in mechanical and plant engineering. To remain competitive, we need greater industrialization in Europe. Outside the automotive sector, we are still seeing a high proportion of manual labor in packaging assembly. Fully automated production has so far only been implemented in very few areas outside the automotive industry. Many of the companies are now relocating their battery pack assembly from Asia back to Europe – mainly to Eastern Europe –, because they recognize that pure cost advantages are not enough. Issues such as process control, quality stability, and supply chain risks are becoming increasingly important. The current global political situation is exacerbating this uncertainty. However, Europe often still lacks process experts for pack assembly.
Battery-News: How do growing cell formats affect battery assembly?
Gasiorek: With larger cell formats, the demands on handling, precision, and process forces increase significantly. Tolerances are becoming smaller, while errors are getting significantly more expensive. Robust assembly with integrated quality assurance is therefore becoming even more important. The need for automation will continue to grow, as manual processes reach their limits with larger and heavier cells. At the same time, larger cell formats also increase the economic risk per component, because scrap and rework have a direct impact on unit costs.
Battery-News: How do you at Bahmüller manage to maintain a high level of innovation?
Gasiorek: I see our innovative capabilities primarily in two areas: firstly, in co-creation with our customers, and secondly, in our strong process integration. Many customers already have a finished product design, but it is not yet fully optimized for automated series production. In such cases, we work together to develop a solution that is suitable for production. Often, for example, tolerances are too large or cell connectors are planned that are difficult to process automatically. Together, we then adapt the product design and develop a reliable, automated production process with as little scrap as possible.
Battery-News: And regarding process integration?
Gasiorek: In pack assembly, various thermal joining processes are used – such as resistance, laser, or micro-arc welding. At the same time, the cells are often pressed into holders. In parallel, each process must be continuously monitored – for example, through impedance measurements –, and the traceability of each individual cell must be ensured. We at Bahmüller have built up these competencies over many decades. The intensive use of software is also an essential part of this process integration. It’s precisely this combination of mechanics, process expertise, and software integration that many of our customers regard as great added value.
Battery-News: What do you currently view as one of your company’s key tasks?
Gasiorek: We believe that battery pack production is currently undergoing a transition from the innovation phase to industrial maturity. It will therefore be crucial to design production processes in such a way that they are scalable, stable, and economical. This is exactly where we see ourselves as a technology partner to the industry.
