Holistic Factory Planning for a New State-of-the-Art Battery Factory

Factory Planning, General Planning

New Factory for Specialized Battery Solutions

Diehl Energy Products (DEP) is a leading provider of battery solutions for specialized applications. The existing factory structure and the current building conditions are becoming increasingly inadequate to meet the rapidly growing demand and increasing product complexity in the future. Against this backdrop, the strategic decision was made to initiate a new construction project for a state-of-the-art battery plant. As planning partner, we accompany the project from conception to realization alongside DEP.

The high material and process requirements necessitate close collaboration between technology and factory planning right from the conceptual design phase. By working closely together, we can create stable processes and select progressive technologies as the backbone of the new factory. The interdisciplinary collaboration is further intensified during the detailed planning phase, where the approaches from factory and building planning are successfully synchronized.

A key complexity driver in the project is the dry room atmosphere required in certain functional areas. Planning such a sensitive environment is highly complex and plays a significant role in the later production process. The reliable safeguarding of environmental conditions is crucial for meeting the highest quality standards for DEP's specialized battery solutions. To ensure the functional requirements and technical design are aligned early on, close synchronization between factory planning, building, and MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) planning is necessary. From an economic perspective, the dry rooms are also highly significant due to the substantial investment involved. Through multiple iterations, we optimize the design in close collaboration and make relevant decisions based on thorough cost-effectiveness assessments.

Additionally, we develop forward-looking approaches to incorporate sustainability factors into the new factory. These approaches range from process changes to investments in future-proof technologies.

After successfully passing all milestones in the planning process, the preferred option is moved into the realization phase. In preparation, we assist DEP with the functional specification of the required special and standard operating equipment and develop the realization roadmap. Once the preparatory measures are complete, we accompany the physical implementation of the planning throughout the entire period. During this phase, we check the compliance of the execution with the plans, coordinate the individual steps in their sequences, and prepare the ramp-up of the new factory in parallel operation.