Forsee Power to build US plant in Ohio
The French battery manufacturer Forsee Power has announced a new production facility and North American headquarters in the USA. The plant and headquarters are to be built in Hilliard in the US state of Ohio and is expected to reach a production capacity of 3 GWh by 2027.
As in Europe, Forsee Power does not manufacture the battery cells itself but assembles purchased cells into battery modules, which are then primarily installed in commercial vehicles – although some Forsee batteries are also suitable for maritime use.
Forsee describes the construction of the US production facility as an “important step in the group’s development”. From Ohio, the French company says it intends to continue serving existing customers, but also to build a local customer base in North America. Customers are expected to come from the bus, truck, off-road, light urban, commercial and rail sectors.
In North America, Forsee Power not only wants to serve the growing market for electric commercial vehicles but with the US base, it will be able to address some new segments. City buses, for example, fall under the FAST Act, according to which 70 per cent of the value-added in public tenders must be produced locally. This also means that commercial customers should also benefit from the optimised supply chain and the resulting lower costs.
The company says it will duplicate product lines and production facilities for a rapid start of US operations. This includes, but is not limited to, products that have been adapted for the needs of North American customers based on existing product lines.
The Group’s aim is to achieve production capacity of 3 GWh at the US base by 2027 is expected to require an investment of more than 13 million euros. This includes not only the 13,000-square-metre site and the necessary production and development facilities but also the adaptation of the product range to the local market. In the medium term, 150 jobs are to be created in Hilliard in the Columbus region.
“We found Columbus to have the right ecosystem of potential supply chain partners, academic partners, and the right fit for workforce as we are looking at hiring production operators, R&D engineers and a full leadership team to run our North American activity,” explains Christophe Gurtner, Chairman & CEO of Forsee Power. “The US administration has designed a very ambitious roadmap toward decarbonisation. There are tremendous opportunities to grow on our target market segments: our field-proven experience, our ability to scale up industrial capabilities and to innovate zero-emission solutions for electric vehicle manufacturers will be key assets to rapidly position as a leader in North America.”
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