Northvolt has announced the termination of part of its operations
Communication director Northvolt Poland Anna Sobolewska informed PAP on Friday that Northvolt announced the termination of part of its activities related to the development and production of energy storage facilities in Poland and Sweden. This means that the operations of the Northvolt factory at ul. Andruszkiewicza in Gdańsk, producing energy storage systems, will not be continued, a the plant will be prepared for sale.
According to the company, Northvolt is also conducting talks on the sale of the second part of the Northvolt Systems business unit, which has been producing battery systems for industrial applications since 2018.
What will go for sale?
Sale will include business assets, technology, products and customer base, as well as a battery system prototyping facility located in Stockholm and a production facilitywhich has been operating at ul. for 6 years. Elbląska in Gdańsk.
According to the company, the above decisions do not mean the complete exit of Northvolt from Poland. The operation of the Business Scaling Center in Gdańsk will continue, providing services in the field of HR, IT, finance, purchasing and logistics for companies from the group. Northvolt.
“Northvolt’s decisions regarding Northvolt Systems result from the company’s strategic review, which aims to simplify the organizational structure and focus on large-scale production of battery cells. Unfortunately, the decision to end the energy storage business will have consequences for employees in Sweden and Poland” – says Anna Sobolewska.
The president of Northvolt Poland, Robert Chryc-Gawrychowski, informs that although the company continues talks regarding the sale of the business of battery systems for industry, the company has made “a difficult decision to end the development and production of energy storage facilities.”
An investor could not be found
“Despite our efforts, we were unable to find an investor for this part of the business and therefore the factory at ul. will be closed. Andruszkiewicz in Gdańsk. Now the most important task is to support employees affected by this decision – he said in a statement sent to PAP.
Northvolt also announced on Friday that it has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in the United States. This will allow the company to gain access to new sources of financing and continue operations, while restructuring debt and adapting the business to the current needs of customers.
Additionally, the company announced that Peter Carlsson is stepping down as CEO, will assume an advisory role and will remain a member of the management board. Peter Carlsson has led Northvolt since its inception in 2016.
What is Northvolt?
Currently Northvolt Systems employs 269 employees in Sweden, 281 employees in factories in Poland and 64 people in the Business Scaling Center in Gdańsk. Northvolt is in talks with trade unions in Sweden and employee representatives in Poland regarding the sale of the industrial battery systems business and termination of the energy storage business.
Northvolt Systems was founded by Northvolt AB in 2018, with the intention of developing and producing battery systems for industrial customers and battery energy storage systems. Typically, entities operating in this market segment use cells from external suppliers.
Northvolt Systems has developed a portfolio of products based on cells made using lithium-ion technology, manufactured at plants in Gdańsk and delivered, among others, to such Northvolt customers as: Epiroc, Konecranes, Mecalac, Pon, Dynell. (PAP)
