SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla.—Battery cell manufacturer Nanotech Energy recently confirmed a pioneering partnership with Rockwell Automation that will empower Nanotech Energy’s new production plant in Chico, California, to become what the company called “one of the most advanced in the world.”
The deal follows extensive personal conversations between Rockwell Automation CEO Blake Moret and a team of senior Nanotech Energy executives, according to a release from Nanotech Energy.
As final testing is completed at Nanotech’s new 50,000-square-foot Chico 2 manufacturing facility, the introduction of Rockwell technology is expected to deliver a series of measurable efficiencies and bring further robustness to a manufacturing process that is reportedly already producing exceptional results.
“As with any American manufacturing, our customers rightly expect the very highest standards in performance, efficiency, and quality,” said Nanotech Energy Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Curtis Collar, in a statement. “Automation is a key part of that, and we’re delighted to have secured this agreement to make the Chico 2 manufacturing plant one of the most advanced battery production sites in the world.”
Nanotech Energy is working to bring transformative, graphene-based, energy storage products from the research lab to the mass market. The company said that its high surface area, single-layer graphene material is used in multiple applications, including non-flammable lithium-ion batteries, transparent conducting electrodes, conductive inks, printed electronics, conductive epoxy, antistatic coatings, and EMI (electromagnetic interference) shielding.
According to Troy Zerbe, chief operating officer at Nanotech Energy, the company is delighted to be working in tandem with Rockwell Automation.
“Securing the expertise of Rockwell Automation is a huge boost to our ability to produce the world’s best graphene-based lithium-ion batteries here in the U.S.,” said Zerbe in a statement. “This partnership will see Rockwell deliver our quality management system (QMS) and our manufacturing execution system (MES). It will also identify other areas where automation can benefit Chico 2, as well as provide inspiration and insights into where best we can leverage automation in our planned gigafactory.”
Nanotech Energy was founded in 2014 by Jack Kavanaugh, Ph.D., and noted UCLA scientists Richard Kaner, Ph.D., and Maher El-Kady, Ph.D. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Nanotech Energy is a privately held company backed by Multiverse Investment Fund, Fubon Financial Group, and other strategic investors.