Roman, how was it?

What made you decide to get into lithium-ion batteries?
As you mentioned, for almost 60 years, TAB has been manufacturing lead-acid batteries for automotive and industrial sectors. We develop and produce a wide range of lead-acid flooded, VRLA AGM, VRLA gel batteries and li-ion batteries. But of course, we wish to develop and were motivated to enter the lithium-ion battery market.
This was due to its increasing demand driven by the growing need for energy storage solutions in various industries such as automotive, off-road motive, electronics, and renewable energy.

What was the requirement profile for the equipment supplier?
When selecting a machinery supplier, we had specific requirements to ensure the efficiency, reliability, and scalability of our production processes. We needed a solution that could meet high-quality standards, handle large-scale production volumes up to 1GWh (180.000 battery packs in 3-shift operation per year), and integrate seamlessly into our manufacturing infrastructure. And of course, we have been working with BM also in the past for lead-acid battery equipment and were positive to have an experienced partner for this gigafactory project.

How did BM support this?
BM played a crucial role in supporting us throughout the process. Our cooperation for this project started already in the design phase of the battery system. BM supported us with their automation know-how to optimize material flow and costs in manufacturing. Finally, we got provided with customized machinery solutions that meet exactly our needs. BM delivered a wide service support, starting from product design for manufacturing, full process responsibility with parameter testing and definition, control system with data management, up to installation and commissioning.

When selecting a machinery
supplier, we had specific
requirements to ensure the
efficiency, reliability, and
scalability of our production
processes.

Roman Burja, CEO of TAB

How did the project execution go?
It went smoothly overall, thanks to effective communication, collaboration, and project management between our team and BM.

Looking back: what would you do differently?
Reflecting on our experience, there are always areas for improvement.
Clearer communication of expectations and requirements from the
beginning could have further streamlined the project process.

What are your future goals?
Looking ahead, our goals extend beyond just meeting current market demands. We aim to continue innovating our battery technology. In improving production efficiency and expanding our market reach we aim to support the transition towards sustainable energy solutions globally. Our first steps have already been set, we launched the next products to support big-sized battery storage systems.