ARMOR BATTERY FILMS Starts Up its New Factory

Twenty months after work began on its new factory, ARMOR BATTERY FILMS, a company within the ARMOR GROUP, transfers its team to the new facility. This is accompanied by the commissioning of equipment dedicated to the production of En' Safe coated current collectors, key battery components. The new plant will enable ARMOR BATTERY FILMS to increase its production capacity fivefold, while preparing for the future in the rapidly expanding global battery market. 

A new factory comes on stream 

With the recent move-in of staff dedicated to R&D, the ARMOR BATTERY FILMS teams are gradually moving into the brand-new industrial site in La Chevrolière (44), a few kilometers from Nantes. Dedicated to the production of primed current collectors, the 8,000 sqm building is designed to operate 24/7 and includes an ink formulation workshop, three coating and cutting workshops and a large storage warehouse. More specifically, the entire 1st floor is dedicated to R&D activities, with three laboratories, with a dry room. These areas are used for developing formulations, assembling and testing batteries (coin and pouch cells 

Pierre Guichard, RDI & Industrial Manager at ARMOR BATTERY FILMS, comments: ‘We have reached a crucial milestone with the qualification by our customers of our products from the new line. This phase enables us to guarantee our ability to achieve the quality standards they demand. What's more, the machines installed on the new site will not only enable us to increase our production capacity, but also to offer new product specifications - wider widths and continuous and intermittent patterns - that meet the expectations of our battery manufacturer customers.’ 

Optimizing resources for maximum performance 

The En' Safe current collectors developed by ARMOR BATTERY FILMS respond to today's challenges of optimizing resources and represent a significant technological advancement for the battery industry. These solutions offer key benefits for manufacturers, such as improved electrode adhesion, protection against corrosion, higher energy density and better battery capacity retention. All of these benefits are designed to improve battery safety and extend battery life by up to 20%. En' Safe current collectors therefore promote a more rational use of resources, responding to today's economic and ecological challenges. 

Thierry Dagron, Marketing and Business Development Director adds: ‘We are proud to offer solutions that not only optimize battery performance, but also improve the efficiency of the resources used. With En' Safe, we're doing more with less, an approach that is essential in today's environment.’ 

A booming global market 

The size of the lithium-ion battery market reached $4 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 11% from 2024 to 2032. What's more, this type of battery has become an essential part of the energy industry, accounting for 57% of the global rechargeable battery market today, up from just 13% in 2014. By positioning itself in growth sectors such as energy storage systems (ESS), electric buses and data centers, and thanks to a network of North American, European and Asian customers, the Nantes-based manufacturer is establishing itself as the essential Western alternative to Asian manufacturers of coated current collectors. 

Thierry Dagron concludes: ‘The battery market is seeing the emergence of new technologies, based on both electro-chemistry (LFP, sodium-ion) and manufacturing processes such as dry-coating, for which our products are perfectly suited. We are extremely confident about the future. The lithium-ion battery market continues to grow at a sustained rate, with considerable development prospects. As the only Western alternative, we are more than ready to play a major role in this rapidly expanding market!’ 

ARMOR BATTERY FILMS | www.armorbatteryfilms.com