Prof. Dr. Eggerath on how Jagenberg Group’s technologies will make the future work. (Part 1)

Professor Eggerath, thank you for your time and the opportunity to discuss what the future holds. But before we look into what’s to come, let us take a look back: We are talking to you as Head of the technology division of Jagenberg Converting Solutions’ Energy business unit located in Hamburg.

A number of companies have been merged into JCS. How are they working together?

Briefly put: perfectly. You have to know that all the technologies and skills that come together are vital to our plants. Take our proprietary slot die technology and the en-masse conveying systems, for example, they make us stand out from all other vendors.

The integration of our team in Erlangen has enabled us to expand our expertise with regard to product innovations and development topics. In addition, this team has broad access to universities and research institutes. We can now bundle all our expertise together in Jagenberg Converting Solutions GmbH and satisfy our customers' requirements as a team.?

Coating anode and cathode is a concept closely associated with you personally. What do you think makes JCS so strong with respect to that?

Well, coating anodes and cathodes presents quite a challenge. It implies complex process engineering issues and understanding the underlying analytical processes is extremely important. Our JCS team is perfectly suited to answer the central questions. In other words, the team is extremely versed in finding out, “what makes the things that happen, happen”! Another aspect we are talking about is realizing theoretical concepts. Simply put, that means knowing “how to put ideas into practice”. And this approach is the very DNA of JCS. Combining these two avenues, we are offering excellence!

This offering, you call it “turnkey”, is a key point for many customers. In your view, what are the elements that make JCS stand out?

To answer that let us have a close look at what turnkey actually means. “Turnkey” describes the supplying of a holistic, all-encompassing solution. And that inevitably brings us back to the Jagenberg Group structure we are part of – all of us working together is what makes the difference.

To provide such comprehensive solutions, you need to be able to resort to a deep supply chain which is what we offer as Jagenberg Group: Lau?ig brings in winding technology while Bocholt is an expert in automation and drives. We provide safety technology and CE certifications which come from the team in Coesfeld, and thanks to our experts at Erlangen we can, furthermore, offer slot die technology and en-masse conveying systems. And in addition to all of that, our Hamburg location specializes in coating units as well as dryers and then puts all of these components together into a functioning entity.

So, the bottom line is: Offering turnkey, we are providing a package that includes everything you need – from underlying in-depth know-how to hardware engineering as well as sophisticated services.?

Let’s take a look at the now and the near future: giga factories. The battle for expanding production capacities has been in full swing for some time now. With the planning of a major plant in Heide in northern Germany, the discussion even became a public issue. Is Europe back on the map?

That is, in fact, a very interesting question, especially, in view of today’s market. If you look at it from a global perspective, you are looking at an overall battery production capacity of about 1,000 GWh. At the current rate of growth, however, we are figuring a need of roughly 5,000 GWh by 2030. That leaves about 4,000 GWh unaccounted for! Taking the necessary anode and cathode coating into the equation, it becomes evident that circa 1,400 factories must be built by 2030! According to our estimate, 50% of the production capacities will be split between Asia and the US by then. That leaves roughly 25% of the worldwide capacity for battery production in Europe. All things considered, we also need to fit plant engineering into that picture. The fact that the majority of plants is being engineered in Asia today is common knowledge. Their capacities have been cultivated over many years. But that notwithstanding: is Europe back on the map? Absolutely so! We are building giga factories that use our anode and cathode systems.

So, we have gained a foothold in the European markets, and we are working hard to keep claiming more and more pieces of that pie!

What does JCS bring to the table to play a leading role worldwide?

When we speak about a leading role worldwide, I think, we need to consider two points. For one: Speed and availability. Due to the enormous and immediate need, speed is of the essence. Safety, on the other hand, is greatly important as well: Battery manufacturers simply want safe systems they can rely on. At the end of the day, ?brief installation and very short commissioning times are both factors the Jagenberg Group delivers on very well.

In essence: We do have a market presence. We do have a strong standing in the market. We do offer safe and stable processes. And above all, we can bring short delivery times to the table.?

Which strategies and measures does JCS offer to stand up to the Asian competitors who, of course, are much more aggressive in terms of pricing?

Again, you have to focus on two factors: On the one hand, the actual cost of making investments, CAPEX. That is essential. JCS can leverage these costs in two ways: the first is our modern manufacturing technology which makes for inexpensive production and caters to the highest quality standards. Our enormous engineering experience is a great advantage we have over the Asian market. It lets us make exact assessments of the modules and technologies required and, at the end of the day, we have the ability to build incredibly efficient plants and thus lower investment costs.?

On the other hand, we need to look at the operational spendings that accrue over time, OPEX. Here, our strength in process engineering comes into play, i. e., knowing why and how processes function. Thanks to this knowledge, we can change and improve processes and, for example, drastically reduce energy costs.?

Without giving away too much about equipping battery factories: Are there any milestones you are able to talk about?

Our cooperations in the field of giga factories are indeed confidential. But on a very general level, I can only reassure you again: Europe is back.

JCS is a European machine engineering company, and we are supplying wet coating plant systems for anode and cathode. And we are also currently installing dry coating units in the battery production industry, as well.?

Find out more about what makes those giga factories opt for JCS's anode and cathode coating systems. Stay tuned for what JCS has planned for the future in our next edition of Jagenberg Group Insights, which will be released in two weeks.