Panasonic Energy to Launch New R&D Facility for Battery Production Development in Japan

Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd., a Panasonic Group company, has completed the construction of a new EV battery production development facility within its Suminoe factory in Osaka, Japan. The facility will serve as a hub for the development of production process technology.

It will also support initiatives such as shortening lead times for equipment verifications for mass production using large-scale validation equipment.

Around 400 production engineers are expected to be based at the new facility.

Including those due to be deployed at a new R&D facility for battery cell development scheduled for completion in Osaka in April 2025, approximately 1,100 personnel will be engaged in battery-related research and development, making it the largest battery R&D hub in Japan.

The overall Suminoe factory, which produces automotive lithium-ion batteries, achieved a net-zero CO2 emission status in January 2024.

In a press release, Panasonic states: 'The new facility will also serve as a base for the development of digital transformation, where company-wide data will be consolidated and digitized. A “data analysis platform” will centralize and manage battery data from across all the company’s factories and the material handling will be simulated in order to assess optimum factory layouts'.

It addas: 'Additionally, the facility will be a hub for promoting green transition, aiming to accelerate the deployment of high-efficiency equipment through winding and welding technology development, as well as the validation of the emerging dry coating technology to optimize energy productivity. Further product development initiatives in collaboration with the company’s new R&D facility for battery cell development in Nishi-Kadoma are also planned'

Leveraging its expertise in battery development and manufacturing, Panasonic Energy is contributing to the growth of the lithium-ion battery industry and the development of manufacturing technology,.