The ramp-up phase of a gigafactory for the production of battery cells, modules and packs for electric mobility and other applications is crucial for its subsequent success. In the jointly published white paper "Mastering Ramp-up of Battery Production", the Fraunhofer FFB and the Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University provide information on strategies and resources for an efficient and successful start-up of a gigafactory. The following figures illustrate the importance of this: according to the publication, scrap rates of 15 to 30 per cent in the first few years are common in battery cell production. Even after five years, however, scrap rates are still high at around ten per cent. Each percentage point costs around 30.000 € per day and around ten million euros per year. A rejection rate of 30 per cent at full capacity utilisation therefore means costs of around 900.000 € per day. It is a threat to the entire European electric mobility industry if local battery cell manufacturers are unable to increase their production capacities due to problems with factory ramp-up. The white paper therefore begins by outlining the organisational and technical hurdles associated with ramping up a gigafactory, and then offers insights into how these hurdles can be overcome and how the ramp-up process can be effectively managed.

• Press release Gigafactory ramp-up: experts develop success criteria