Success Story
One of the largest battery factories in Europe is currently being built near Erfurt. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), a global leader of new energy innovative technologies, is currently building its first European production site there, which will soon employ 2,000 people. The factory, which will produce lithium-ion batteries for e-vehicles, is highly automated and relies on state-of-the-art technology. This is evident, for example, in the area of maintenance.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.
Industry: Battery technology
Headquarters: Ningde, China
Scable customer since 2022
www.catl.comSince the start in 2022 the pace is enormous. It is already noticeable that CATL is fully committed to automation and digitization: Almost the entire assembly process is automated, and numerous robots and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are used.
With so much technology, maintenance plays a particularly important role. In addition to several module lines, the fi rst cell lines are into production. To guarantee smooth operation, CATL is currently building up a team of maintenance experts. The team, led by maintenance manager Christopher Kaufmann, is fully committed to digital solutions. Early on, he decided to use maintenance software. For this purpose, Kaufmann chose the solution of Scable. „Scable‘s maintenance software is popular with our users because it is easy to use. It is also easy to implement and then expand incrementally as we grow,“ Kaufmann said, summarizing his decision.
Currently still a construction site: Plant G2 for battery cell production.
The software provides CATLs maintenance team with a constant overview of the condition of the various assets. Malfunctions are recorded directly in production. This is done quickly and easily via mobile tablets. Malfunctions can be processed by the maintenance team in the form of tickets. This makes all communication transparent, so that everyone in the team has access to the same information.
Spare parts management in the mega factory is also coordinated via the software. All spare parts as well as their storage locations and intended uses are clearly defi ned. This gives maintenance staff a quick overview of which spare parts are needed for each machine and where they are stored. Spare parts are scanned so that the stock level is always up-to-date and can be reordered promptly
The CATL team also relies on digital solutions to control maintenance. The data basis for key fi gures is automatically recorded via the software, making evaluations available at the push of a button. In this way, impending weak points can be identified at an early stage and counteracted.
The implementation of the software was supported by the experts from Scable. In joint workshops, the organizational orientation of maintenance in particular has been designed and individually mapped in the software. Lukas Morys, founder and CEO of Scable, is enthusiastic about the collaboration, which has been running since the end of 2021: „I have rarely seen such a modern factory. The fact that we were able to introduce our software in just a few weeks is pleasing, and we are excited about further expansion.“
Using such innovative systems, CATL aims to meet the high battery demand in the wake of the energy transition. The factory at the Erfurter Kreuz industrial park is not only the first European, but also the first CATL factory outside China. CATL aims to achieve a capacity of up to 14 GWh. there in the very near future. CATL continues to recruit a large number of new employees to meet the large demand for personnel.
Close collaboration between the maintenance team and the software experts.
Since 2019, CATL is expanding the CATT (Contemporary Amperex Technology Thuringia GmbH) site in Thüringen. Here at Erfurter Kreuz, CATL‘s first European production facility has been built and also is the headquarters for the whole of Europe. As part of this project, CATL is creating 2,000 jobs for skilled workers with a wide range of qualifications.
Thuringia‘s central location and very good infrastructure enable CATL to produce close to customers - this results in more intensive customer relationships, increased delivery reliability and, at the same time, savings in CO2 and transport costs. CATL also promote research and further development of battery technology in ChineseGerman cooperation - one driver of this is the „Battery Innovation and Technology Center (BITC)“ at Erfurter Kreuz. As a member of the Thuringian community, CATT thus supports joint efforts to build a sustainable Europe.
Lukas Morys, CEO and Co-Founder of Scable
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