ProLogium Leads the Realization of a Smart Gigafactory for Lithium Ceramic Batteries with Schneider Electric in France

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May 15, 2024, 05:35 ET

Accelerating efficient mass production and carbon footprint management schemes

PARIS, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ProLogium, a global leader in lithium ceramic battery technology, and Schneider Electric, the worldwide leader in automated mass production solutions, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) enabling ProLogium to leverage Schneider Electric's extensive automation expertise to establish its smart gigafactory in Dunkirk, France.

Vincent Yang, the Founder and Chairman of ProLogium and Laurent Bataille, Executive Vice President of Schneider Electric France, signed the MOU between these two industry leaders in the presence of French Minister of Transport Patrice Vergriete. The partnership will be a critical driver in the expansion of next-generation battery solutions across Europe, in line with ProLogium's commitment to innovation and sustainable development.

Schneider Electric, one of the largest energy management companies with a presence in over 100 countries, is a pioneer in industrial digitization, transformation and automation technology. It has assisted numerous renowned energy companies worldwide in establishing smart factories, reaching their sustainability and mass production goals.

ProLogium opened the world's first giga-level lithium ceramic battery demonstration line in Taoyuan, Taiwan in January 2024, providing evidence of the feasibility of ProLogium's mass production capabilities and a prototype for the future Dunkirk gigafactory. The collaboration with Schneider Electric aims to achieve ProLogium's mass production goals while establishing an efficient and eco-friendly production line. This marks another significant milestone in the commercialization of lithium ceramic batteries.

The partnership outlines the implementation of seven major workflow processes including power distributed systems, smart manufacturing, and carbon footprint management to establish a cutting-edge, sustainable, and intelligent gigafactory. Concept verification is scheduled to begin in the latter half of 2024, with plans to shape the automated manufacturing system for the Dunkirk plant before groundbreaking.

Patrice Vergriete, Minister of Transports stated, "One year ago, the President of the French Republic honored us with his visit to Dunkirk to announce the establishment of ProLogium in our battery valley, which has become a symbol of French reindustrialization. Since then, the Dunkirk area has worked enthusiastically alongside ProLogium's teams, and we thank them once again for their confidence. Today, we are delighted to see ProLogium announce new partnerships that confirm our country's positive trajectory towards the decarbonized industry of the 21st century

"Last May, we unveiled plans to establish a local production base in Dunkirk. These plans encompass not only plant construction but also industrial value chains. Over the past year, preparatory tasks for the Dunkirk gigafactory have proceeded smoothly, and the inauguration of our giga-level demonstration line in Taiwan marks our transition from the laboratory to mass production, demonstrating our scalability. Moving forward, we will leverage the technical strengths of Taiwan and France to jointly complete the last mile from production line to market," said Vincent Yang, the Founder and Chairman of ProLogium. "This will inject new energy into the "Battery Valley", accelerating the production of the world's most advanced lithium ceramic batteries and realizing our vision for transforming transportation energy."

"This agreement represents our shared vision for a more sustainable, energy efficient and resilient future built on innovation and electrification. While demonstrating the pivotal role that both ProLogium and Schneider Electric play in the French government's green re-industrialization strategy." said Laurent Bataille, Executive Vice President, Schneider Electric France Operations.

The phased construction preparation for the Dunkirk gigafactory is progressing. Public consultations and architectural concept designs were finalized in 2023, while environmental assessments and procedures to obtain the construction permit are currently underway concurrently, and the gigafactory's site is undergoing backfilling. This progress is paving the way for subsequent groundbreaking and completion anticipated by the end of 2026 or early 2027. By 2030, the factory is planned to provide approximately 3,000 direct job opportunities in the Dunkirk region.

"With sincere gratitude to the local government and our esteemed partners for their unwavering support, we are pleased to announce the smooth progress of the initial preparations for the ProLogium Dunkirk gigafactory construction project. Moving forward, we are poised to collaborate with Schneider Electric to optimize the factory's electricity, energy usage and production lines. Leveraging their extensive expertise in energy management, particularly in power distribution design and equipment automation, we aim to establish a sustainable smart factory that is not only more automated but also environmentally friendly." said Calvin Hsieh, ProLogium Group Vice President of EU Manufacturing Center.

On May 13^th, ProLogium was invited for the third time to participate in Choose France, underpinning ProLogium's alignment with the French government's strategy in key areas such as "Green Industry" and "Reindustrialization" in industrial growth.

About ProLogium:
Established in 2006, ProLogium is an energy innovation company specializing in the research and manufacturing of lithium ceramic battery solutions for electric vehicles, consumer markets, and industrial applications. The company's exclusive technologies encompass over 750 global patents (including pending and granted). ProLogium has delivered nearly 8,000 samples of next-generation batteries produced by fully automated pilot production lines for global automakers to test and develop modules. ProLogium's first gigafactory production line, located in Taoyuan, Taiwan, will begin supplying automakers in 2024, contributing to accelerate capacity expansion in key markets around the world.

SOURCE ProLogium