TSI wins order for mixing equipment from LG Energy 

TSI has won a new order for mixing equipment from LG Energy Solution, TheElec has learned.

The order is meaningful as the company usually supplies to Samsung SDI. It also supplied kits to Japan’s Panasonic and Saft, a subsidiary of France-based energy giant Total.

TSI will be supplying its mixing equipment to LG’s electric vehicle battery plant at Wroclaw, Poland. The company will be supply 2,300 liter equipment. It is the exclusive vendor the kits. The deal is worth around 50 billion won. The mixing equipment will be used in the third factory, which LG is planning to expand.

TSI has previously supplied equipment to LG Energy Solution for pilot lines. This is the first time for mass production. 

It has previously attempted to supply kits to Ultium Cells, LG’s joint venture with General Motors, and the LG’s plant in Nanjing, China. These efforts all failed.

Mixing equipment are used in the first steps of battery production. They are used to make slurries out of materials __ a process that takes around 12 hours per production line. Higher the equipment capacity, better the productivity.

LG Energy Solution has used mostly 1,300 liter mixing equipment prior to its deal with TSI. It has used 2,300 liter equipment since 2016, but not in production lines dedicated to EV batteries.

LG is expecting the use of TSI as the exclusive vendor of mixing equipment for its third factory in Poland will allow it to save cost. It used multiple mixing equipment suppliers for its first and second factories.

The first and second factories have in total seven production lines to meet orders from automobile companies flexibly. In total, as of last year, LG’s Poland plant had a combined annual production capacity of 70GWh. LG is aiming to expand this to 100GWh with the expansion of the third factory.