ZAF Energy Systems Places Scaled Manufacturing Equipment Order With Wirtz Manufacturing
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ZAF Energy Systems Inc. (ZAF)*, a developer of next-generation battery technology, and Wirtz Manufacturing (Wirtz), a global leader in equipment design and technology for the lead-acid battery market, have announced that ZAF has issued Wirtz purchase orders to complete phase one of ZAF’s scaled-up manufacturing line. The equipment will expand ZAF’s manufacturing capacity from hundreds of batteries per month to thousands of batteries per month in ZAF’s Joplin facility. This added capacity will allow ZAF to rapidly seed the market and meet the growing customer demand for its rechargeable nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries globally.
This phase of delivery in a full production line will allow licensing and joint venture (JV) partners to validate the quality and throughput of the technology for commercially-scaled factories that are expected to begin buildouts in 2019.
Wirtz has a long history of driving new technology innovations in the battery industry. “We continue to be very excited about partnering with ZAF as our engineering teams have customized Wirtz Manufacturing equipment for ZAF’s NiZn technology at production rates equal to lead acid lines. We believe the performance improvements and cost savings being delivered by nickel zinc battery technologies using Wirtz proven technology will enable ZAF to bring their next-generation technology to the marketplace,” commented John Wirtz II, President of Wirtz Manufacturing.
“The ability Wirtz has demonstrated to allow us to coat electrodes using lead-acid manufacturing equipment with very little modification offers further validation of the commercial readiness of the company’s NiZn battery technology. As ZAF continues to commercialize our technology it is vital to have partners like Wirtz, a respected leader and innovator in the battery industry,” commented ZAF Energy Systems President and CEO Randy Moore. The advanced line includes computer-controlled touch change capabilities. This technology is not included in many existing battery assembly lines.
ZAF’s batteries are helping to meet customer demands for powerful, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly battery solutions. “We’re seeing our technology perform well in rigorous battery performance testing by major commercial trucking, telecommunications, and large-scale data center companies,” Moore added. “Customers are ready to place orders as soon as our manufacturing capacity is available, and this investment will help us do that. We believe our partnership with Wirtz provides ZAF with “best in class” manufacturing equipment lines to ensure our quality is both excellent and consistent worldwide.”
This strategic equipment and engineering investment by Wirtz follows their capital investment ZAF received last year from Wirtz. These investments are being used by the company to hire employees, expand production, and forge strategic supply chain partnerships. This additional production capability will further enable ZAF to accelerate licensing and joint venture negotiations and commercialize its NiZn batteries on a global scale.
ZAF’s NiZn batteries have potential uses in a wide range of applications, including: automotive, heavy trucking, remote telecom, renewable energy, and marine. NiZn batteries are poised to disrupt the $60 billion conventional lead-acid battery market with their ability to provide twice the storage capacity and three times the power of legacy lead-acid batteries in a smaller, lighter package.
*This article is sponsored by ZAF. Image courtesy the company and used with permission.
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