SFA wins battery equipment deal from Verkor
For logistics equipment used in the formation process
South Korean equipment maker SFA has won a deal worth over 10 billion won from France’s Verkor for logistics equipment used in battery production, TheElec has learned.
The equipment will be used in the French battery maker’s pilot line and for the formation process during battery production.
The deal will allow SFA to reduce reliance on South Korean battery makers SK On, LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI.
The size of the deal is also larger than that of compatriot mixing equipment maker TSI, which won a deal worth 8.5 billion won from Verkor.
Chairman Won Jin of DY Holdings, SFA’s largest shareholder, has shown strong interest in SFA’s battery equipment business, sources said.
The formation process test whether battery cells that have finished assembly works properly.
The cells are repeatedly charged and discharged and the formation process takes usually over ten days.
SFA’s logistics equipment to be used during this process received high grades from Verkor thanks to their AI technology and stability.
SFA is expected to win more orders as logistics equipment is rarely swapped once they are applied to factories.
It could also win turn-key orders that include its other machines such as 3D CT inspection kits.
Verkor, founded in 2020, is aiming to secure an annual battery production capacity of 15GWh by 2024.