Why do EV battery plants need to connect the digital thread?

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EV battery plants’ rapid production increase has introduced new challenges 

Road transportation is a big contributor to the world’s carbon footprint. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the sector is steadily transitioning from fossil-fuel powered cars to electric vehicles (EVs). However, to meet rising EV demand, EV battery plants (EVBPs) will need to produce an estimated 14 times more EV batteries than they do now.  

This has led EVBPs to prioritize expanding plant capacity and speeding EV battery production. It’s also introduced new challenges because rapidly increasing production and creating economies of scale has led to hidden costs, such as high battery scrap rates and challenges in managing production variables and supply chain resilience. 

Growth pains include: 

• Lack of access to production information: Stakeholders need access to relevant information about production problems that occur at EV battery factories (variables relating to scrap, production delay causes, etc.). An information delay can slow issue resolutions, resulting in further problems, such as increased battery scrap rates and challenges in managing production.  
• Lack of supply chain information: Stakeholders need clear information about what is occurring across the supply chain – especially about the quality of active materials and components. This awareness allows them to prepare for potential supply issues.  
• Lack of transparency: Stakeholders need full transparency into a battery’s entire history because battery passports must include information about the battery through its entire lifespan.   

A digital thread brings insight into the EV battery’s entire lifecycle  

A digital thread brings visibility into EVBPs and their value chains. It creates a continuous thread of information that digitally represents important points across all aspects of a product’s lifecycle – connecting systems, devices, people, products, and equipment.  

For example, a digital thread journey, such as the one powered by Connect (an industrial intelligence platform) and its data services, can start by deploying Schneider Electric’s software-centric automation platform (EcoStruxure Automation Expert and AVEVA System Platform) to link process information from EVBPs’ equipment, such as data from production line sensors, to other business and operational areas. This digital thread leverages collected data by integrating it into a common framework for storing, processing, managing, and contextualizing data to help EVBPs form insights. In this regard, AVEVA PI offers a rapid time-to-value and serves as an ideal foundation for storing and contextualizing data by leveraging the PI Asset and Event frameworks. As a result, EVBP stakeholders have readily available information that is pre-formulated for the required purposes and based on underlying information from relevant sources.  

It also helps provide end-to-end EV battery traceability 

Digital threads improve EV batteries’ traceability by giving a comprehensive view of the battery through all production stages throughout the battery’s lifespan. This insight makes it easier to identify and solve problems at any point in the value chain. For example, if there is excess scrap or a product quality issue, information from the digital thread can be used to identify where specifically the problem is occurring and determine the root cause. The information can also be used to improve EV battery performance.  

Battery traceability has become an important aspect of EV battery manufacturing because legislation in many countries requires increased transparency across the battery value chain. For example, the EU’s  EV battery passport requires that each EV battery has a digital ID that contains information such as its manufacturing history, production date, origin of key materials, chemical composition, and battery type and model.  

EV battery manufacturers are already optimizing production processes and improving quality control using a digital thread 

We are already working with leading EV battery manufacturers to help them leverage the benefits of a digital thread. By correlating data from various stages of production — from raw material sourcing to final assembly — companies aim to improve production processes and ensure the highest standards of quality across product lines. 

Digital thread implementations allow manufacturers to gain end-to-end visibility into their operations, which enables the tracking and monitoring of each battery’s steps through the manufacturing process. This not only improves quality control, but it also facilitates swift identification and resolution of any potential issues that may arise during production. 

For example, the digital thread is empowering a leading EV battery manufacturer to optimize its processes for greater battery plant efficiency and productivity. By analyzing the wealth of data collected along the production line, the company is identifying opportunities for refinement, minimizing waste, and enhancing overall operational performance. The digital thread is also helping the manufacturer begin implementing product carbon footprint reporting, which is important for complying with EV battery passport requirements and supporting a circular economy. 

Learn more about how EVBPs can benefit from a digital thread 

Download this white paper to learn how EVBPs can use a digital thread to prepare for increased production and support green mobility while also adopting EV battery manufacturing practices that optimize resource consumption and support sustainable operations. 

Through the power of this digital thread enabled by AVEVA, EVBPs can have confidence that the data they’re using to make decisions is reliable, accurate, and timely.