The Battery Podcast

Electric cars may not be the perfect solution for every transportation need, but by investing in a more sustainable manufacturing process for batteries EVs can become a greener option when they do make sense. Norway is one of the strongest use case regions for the technology with cheap renewable power, semi-remote transportation routes outside the cities, and a population with a high sense of responsibility for the environment. And Morrow Batteries is working to bring the benefits of battery electric transportation to more of Europe and do so sustainably.

To talk about the development of green battery production in Europe, Frank Johnny Bråthen (Siemens Head of Digital Industries in Norway), Bernd Mangler (Vice President of Solutions at Siemens), Lars Christian Bacher (CEO Morrow Batteries), and Andreas Maier (COO Morrow Batteries) took some time on the stage at Hannover Fair 2024.

What you’ll learn:

• [5:30] Norway’s path to sustainable battery leadership in Europe

• [9:53] How are companies meeting the KPIs for sustainability?

• [12:10] Achieving high production yields

The complexity and globalization of automotive development brings challenges to businesses of all sizes. But for Small to medium sized enterprises, the impact can be much more acute as they do not necessarily have the established structures to best work within the established industry processes. And this story is incredibly important for the battery industry as it works to become more competitive in the realm of transportation.

To talk about how businesses around the world are overcoming this challenge with digitalization and strong partnerships, Claus Cremers of Siemens AG and Frank Göller of Audi AG discuss to growing role of Catena X as an industry group for the automotive industry.

What you’ll learn:

• [2:00] What challenges are companies working to overcome by working with Catena X

• [7:10] The role of the ecosystem in automotive

• [12:40] The ecosystem goes beyond the enterprise with the Battery Passport

The story of battery manufacturing is one of scale. Researchers, manufacturers, and OEMs are working to make batteries lighter, make them in higher numbers, and make them across a wider region. Even the name of these factories alludes to the scale of operation and not just the production capacity of gigawatts. But the process of gaining scale from a laboratory breakthrough to a manufacturing juggernaut is the most important story of scale in the industry.

For this episode of the battery podcast, Marc Deyda of Siemens Digital Industries talks with Philipp Wunderlich of Accenture about how companies are staying competitive as they develop more sustainable battery production processes and methodologies.

What you’ll learn:

• [2:25] The challenges of setting up gigafactories

• [5:20] The role of strong partnerships

• [8:52] Enabling sustainable battery manufacturing

There is a really big shift in the battery industry to bring manufacturing closer to the centers of need and produce locally. But doing this still relies on existing global supply chains, hence the push for glocalization. Making a successful debut in this new mode of operation requires working with the right team and being able to work from great experiential knowledge. But the rewards for this work are worth it in becoming a more sustainable battery manufacturer.

For episode 11 of the Battery Podcast we have a discussion of how one company managed this change to the industry – KORE Power – along with voices out of Siemens Financial Services and Siemens Smart Infrastructure. This episode is a little longer than usual, but it was just to great a conversation to leave anything out, so let’s dive into KORE Power’s journey in the US battery market.

What you’ll learn:

• [2:55] What is KORE Power

• [10:45] The need for glocal manufacturing

• [14:40] The challenges to creating a strong ecosystem

• [20:10] Investing in something new

Batteries are playing a role in electrification around the world and manufacturing is growing to meet that demand, both quantitatively and regionally. Manufacturers and innovators like Skeleton Technologies are working to create industry knowledge outside of the traditional centers for battery manufacturing. Digital tools and integrated processes are part of the solution.

In this episode of the Battery Podcast, Marc Deyda sits down with Taavi Madiberk, the CEO and Co-Founder at Skeleton Technologies to talk about battery manufacturing in Europe. They walk through the challenges and successes of growing from a small research lab to what Skeleton Technologies is doing today.

What you'll learn:

• [1:37] Why manufacture batteries in Central Europe?

• [5:03] Making a niche in a growing industry

• [9:13] The role of IoT in successful battery manufacturing

• [18:30] Hardware and software are inseparable

Building battery capacity and gigafactories around the world is a race. And much like racers, businesses looking to capitalize on the growing market need preparation and a good team to take a win. To talk about the race to expand capacity in the battery industry, our host and Senior Director of Battery Industry at Siemens Digital Industries Software – Puneet Sinha – sat down with Pierre Bagnon, the Head of the Intelligent Industry Accelerator within Capgemini.

This episode of the Battery Podcast was originally from an industry event, but the conversation between Puneet and Bagnon was too important not to share with our audience. We hope you enjoy another show discussion on the battery industry.

What you'll learn:

• [4:00] Specific challenges to battery beyond scaling quickly

• [7:56] Even with a built gigafactory, production is a complex challenge

• [11:49] A gigafactory in new regions relies on new production networks as well

• [13:21] Central to a holistic approach is a comprehensive solution

Ecosystems are critical to every industry. While many established industries may only highlight the relationship between manufacturers and their suppliers, new or growing industries contain many more facets to success. For battery industry, this means research from universities, manufacturing practices from OEMs, optimized equipment from the machine builders, and partners like Siemens. Because of how rapidly the battery industry is growing, we wanted to highlight an amazing conversation with different industry voices for an episode of the Battery Podcast.

Moderated by Chris Brow, you will hear from Sebastian Wolf (COO of PowerCo), Dr. Stephan Witt (COO of Jagenberg), Dr. Heiner Heimes (Member of Institute Management RWTH Aachen University), and Michael Thomas (Senior VP of Factory Automation at Siemens). We hope you enjoy this great stage presentation if you couldn’t attend in person.

What you’ll learn:

• [2:55] The challenge of creating new regionalized capacity

• [9:25] What competition means in a new battery ecosystem

• [12:50] Proving sustainability in the battery ecosystem

• [19:50] Hopes for the next year in the battery ecosystem

The role batteries play in the modern world is extremely important, but maybe more so is how they are made. Whether it is the complexity of process manufacturing, the rapid growth in production capacity, or the sustainability of the process and product, there is a lot to learn and improve. Digitalization plays a large role in overcoming these challenges and provides a pathway for more successful battery manufacturing.

To talk about the industry trends on the manufacturing side of the battery industry, our host Marc Deyda sat down with an expert - Adrian Spillmann, the Market Segment Director of Battery at Bühler. This episode is their stage-discussion from SPS Fair 2023, Nuremberg, Germany.

What you’ll learn:

• [1:08] Why a food and materials company got into battery manufacturing

• [5:15] How different businesses are approaching battery manufacturing

• [8:30] What changes sustainable production is bringing to the industry

• [10:05] Tips for new market entrants

For many sectors in modern life, decarbonizing necessitates electrifications and the use of batteries to move away from fossil fuels. But just switching is not enough, batteries need to be continuously improved for energy density, longevity, reliability, and cost to not just make them competitive now, but well into the future. To talk about how battery companies are tackling this sustainability challenge, Puneet Sinha and I are sitting back down with Magnus Edholm.

In this second half of our discussion, we will look at the impact of battery manufacturing, how we are helping companies get on the right track for sustainability, the expertise a technology partner needs to bring to the table for a battery business to flourish, and we wrap up with what the industry will look like in the next five to ten years from these expert’s perspectives.

What you’ll learn:

• [0:54] How can battery companies pursue performance optimizations fast enough to meet demand?

• [4:55] How do you integrate sustainability into design and production?

• [12:12] What should a technology partner bring to the table?

• [18:02] Where can the battery industry go in the next 5-10 years? What do they need to get there?

The battery industry is both unique and will depend on many of the innovations from other industries to hit key targets. Namely, digital transformation will play a critical role in helping suppliers, manufacturers, and OEMs accelerate production sustainably and meet the expected market demand for batteries. For episode five of the Battery Podcast, I sit down with our resident host and battery expert Puneet Sinha (Senior Director of Battery Industry at Siemens Digital Industries Software) and our guest Magnus Edholm, who drives the Digital Enterprise at Siemens.

In the first half of our lengthy discussion, we cover the push for acceleration in the battery industry, where demand is expected to increase 14-fold by 2030 from what was needed only a few years ago. And before taking a break for part two, we also take time to cover the scale of what these expectations mean for a manufacturing environment. Gigafactories are huge facilities, but businesses need the same level of understanding or better to harness their potential over smaller facilities.

What you’ll learn:

• [1:47] Why is Siemens focused on battery right now?

• [4:03] What do manufacturers need to be successful?

• [10:30] How are companies expected to scale to the market demand for batteries?

• [18:19] What are companies doing to optimize their IT/OT processes for the floor?

In this episode, we continue our conversation on battery developments and the automotive market with our host Nick Finberg and Puneet Sinha, Senior Director - Battery Industry at Siemens Digital Industries Software as they delve into the intriguing world of standardization, modularity, and battery management systems (BMS) with Dr. Cecile Pera - Battery & Automotive Industry Influencer.

Discover the complexities of the electric vehicle landscape, the challenges in standardizing components, and the evolving role of BMS in shaping the future of battery technology.

What you’ll learn:

• [1:02] How are companies looking at standardization in the market?

• [3:50] Modularity in the battery pack design

• [11:20] What development is going into the battery management systems?

• [17:07] The influence of software on batteries, with OTA updates

Interested in learning more about our battery solutions? Visit siemens.com/battery

Automobiles are a key driver in the growth of electrification and batteries around the world. In this episode, our host, Nick Finberg, along with Puneet Sinha, Senior Director - Battery Industry at Siemens Digital Industry Software, engage in a thought-provoking discussion with Dr. Cecile Pera, Industry influencer with a diverse background in automotive and electrification.

The first part of our discussion covers the shifting market dynamics and the drivers of innovation around batteries and electric vehicles. The evolving landscape of battery pack technology, the challenges in manufacturing, and an interplay between design, technology, and government regulations. Stay tuned for part two, where we talk about the the challenges in standardizing components, and the evolving role of BMS in shaping the future of battery technology.

What you’ll learn:

• [1:16] Evolution of battery pack technology

• [5:05] Challenges in battery manufacturing

• [13:25] Government regulations and safety tests

• [16:20] Partnerships and collaborations across the industry

Interested in learning more about our battery solutions? Visit siemens.com/battery

The activity surrounding the battery industry since our first episode has been much greater than expected - with in-person events and newsworthy changes to the market. But to get back in the seat to talk about all things battery, we recorded with experts from Battery Show Europe in Stuttgart. Our resident host Marc Deyda found some time and space to talk with our amazing guests from the show floor at the event.

The guests for this episode are Dr. Christian Offermanns (Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University), Dr. Markus Gräf (Chief Operations Officer at Cellforce Group GmbH), and Dr. Hannes Schmüser (CEO Division Clean Technology Systems at Dürr).

What you’ll learn:

• [2:12] What to keep in mind while planning production and implementing environmental sustainability

• [3:41] Why cooperation with research institutions, manufacturers, and suppliers is critical to innovation

• [6:32] The role of early fault detection in production processes

• [8:02] Successful innovation requires finding the right customer benefits, not just catching up

Interested in learning more about our battery solutions? Visit siemens.com/battery

Siemens is launching a new podcast – The Battery Podcast. Understandably, our hosts and guests will be discussing the battery industry as a whole and the many components that create it. The goal is to talk to experts within Siemens, from our partners, our own customers, and general industry experts. Just as the industry covers everything from mine to recycling and everything in between, so will our resident experts.

In this first episode you will meet Puneet Sinha and Marc Deyda, as we learn about what the battery industry encompasses, what struggles are most common today, and how some of our customers are meeting the challenge. We’ll also cover some of the major topics we hope to tackle with guests in the future.

What you’ll learn:

• [1:17] The breadth of the battery ecosystem and it’s applications today

• [4:05] What is a Gigafactory and their value for the future?

• [5:50] What are the challenges businesses are tackling today?

• [15:00] How we are helping customers solve their challenges today?