For optimum control of product quality, Banner relies on a high production depth. Its 560 production employees produce nearly all the components in¬-house that they need to make finished batteries on Banner’s six assembly lines. This includes the plastic parts for the battery cases as well as the paste-filled lead oxide grids. Their production involves two to five¬ days rest in maturing chambers to create optimum current absorption and storage capacity. Banner’s ongoing success was accompanied by a continuous, organic growth of the production facilities, adding or extending hall after hall until the complex filled the site that had seemed ever so spacious when the company moved here from a smaller place in 1959. These developments led to a heterogeneous production environment. “This confronts us with significant challenges, particularly concerning intra¬logistics issues, such as scheduling for the maturing chambers,” says Franz Dorninger, technical director at Banner. “We contemplated various ways to overcome this problem, including relocating to new premises.”

Testing expensive battery prototypes is an around-the-clock job for the engineers at GM’s Global Battery Systems Lab. Excessive heat or high voltage can make batteries unstable or vulnerable to damage. Confirming the reason for the alarm and eliminating fault alerts sometimes requires onsite investigation, often at non-business hours.

We aimed to build an advanced BMS with improved accuracy of SoC and SoH algorithms for hybrid electric and electric vehicles. Our demo was built using automotive grade components and designed to conform to ASIL-D certification. The scope of work covered such safety features as Over/Under Voltage, Over/Under Temperature Protection, Short Circuit Detection, Cell Balancing, CAN Communication, and Faults Handling. Read the full case

Founded in 2004, HCB Battery Co., Ltd. is a national high-tech enterprise and a leading manufacturer of primary lithium batteries in China.Known for adherence to professional, dedicated, service-based development, HCB Battery Co., Ltd. (HCB) is one of the few companies committed to the primary lithium battery field, with a full range of lithium battery R&D capabilities and boasting the longest history of lithium battery manufacturing in China. The company’s main products including Li-SOCl2 cylindrical batteries, Li-MnO2 cylindrical batteries, Li-MnO2 pouch cells, and Ultra-pulse capacitors.