Project Bulletin: February 26, 2024

EnerSys aims to increase domestic supply chain with a new lithium-ion cell gigafactory in South Carolina.

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Battery manufacturer EnerSys has plans to invest $500 million at Augusta Grove Business Park located in Greenville, South Carolina. This sweet project announcement arrived just in time for Valentine’s Day and brought the anticipation of 500 new jobs in the region. The 500,000-sq.-ft. facility will produce an array of lithium-ion cells for industrial, commercial and defense application uses. Production capacity for the 140-acre site will be 4 gigawatt-hours per year when operations begin in 2027. The new location will support EnerSys in meeting growing global demand and joins the company’s manufacturing plant located 157 miles southeast of Greenville in Sumter, South Carolina.

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Glass manufacturer O-I Glass is upgrading two France sites, both in operation for over 120 years.

Photo courtesy of O-I Glass, Inc.

A combined $100.9 million has gone toward upgrading two O-I Glass, Inc. packaging facilities in France. The glass manufacturer recently wrapped up the $42.5 million upgrade to its 150-year-old Reims site, which included full renovation of two furnaces, a production line and integration of new equipment. Its central location in the Champagne region allows the site to supply glass bottles to over 1,000 customers in France, producing 300 million bottles per year (yes, including magnum bottles for Champagne). Three hours southeast in Gironcourt-sur-Vraine, the company is investing $58.4 million to revamp a production line, rebuild a furnace and introduce Gas Oxy Advanced Technology (GOAT), which uses a mix of gas and oxygen to supply heat to the site’s furnace, cutting CO2 emissions during production by 18%. “These very significant investments are perfectly in line with the global approach adopted by O-I to reinforce our commitment to sustainable development, increase the energy efficiency of our equipment, create more resilient supply chains and constantly seek to improve the working conditions of our teams,” said O-I Glass Southwest Europe Managing Director Walter Ferrer. “They also demonstrate the confidence we have in our facilities in France, and our full commitment to serving our customers, our teams, and the planet.”

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Unison’s first Mexico site will work to supply EV parts to U.S. operations for Tesla and more.

Photo courtesy of Tesla

China-based automotive company Unison Shanghai began construction on its $400 million San Luis Potosí, Mexico, manufacturing facility. Operating as a subsidiary, ZS Automotive Components Mexico SA de CV will produce bumpers, front subframes, panel frames, battery trays and more items catered to EVs. Located in the WTC Industrial Park, this plant will produce parts for Tesla, Volvo and BMW within the U.S., with plans to supply 60% of production to company’s within Mexico in proceeding years. According to the project announcement this investment will create 3,000 new jobs upon completion.

Reports compiled and written by Alexis Elmore, edited by Adam Bruns