The 2.4 million-square-foot electric vehicle battery plant set to be built on the city’s northeast side has received the necessary development plan and variance approvals. This will allow the joint venture between Stellantis and Samsung SDI to begin construction.
IU Bloomington’s Institute for Korean Studies is working with Kokomo to help employees learn about everyday Korean culture. Project leaders say around 1,400 jobs will initially be available.
EV Battery Manufacturing Process Engineer
Assemble and test solid-state EV battery cells to identify areas of improvement to maximize production yields. Work closely with the R&D cell design team to check electrochemical testing results and analyze impact of assembly processes on the final cell performance. Hands-on experience in manual and pilot equipment (die and punch, electrode stacking machine, Jerry roll winding machine, tab welders, pouch formers) preferred.
The project will provide a high-performance, affordable LFP cathode material to EV gigafactories and cells manufacturers. It will also enable them to improve the current generation of EV batteries and reduce cost.
The project will enable the use of a new digital solution, Waygate Technologies’ DigiTwin, to significantly boost productivity at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC). This open access X-ray computed tomography (CT) digital system enables faster and more accurate identification and resolution of quality defects than traditional inspection methods. This will save over £21 million a year and reduce raw material waste, including rare earth minerals, by enabling the plant to run at an optimum temperature more efficiently.
Senior Manufacturing Engineer
The Senior Process Engineer will play an important role in developing and optimizing the EV battery production process for safety, quality, productivity, and sustainability. In addition, this person will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating existing processes and equipment, and implementing new ones as necessary.
Stellantis and Samsung SDI have agreed to build a second electric vehicle battery plant in the United States under their existing Star Plus Energy joint venture, with an initial annual production capacity of 23 gigawatt hours. The plant in Kokomo is part of the companies’ plans to produce 1.5 million battery-electric vehicles by 2030.
The project will bring about 1,400 jobs to Kokomo, which is already home to a few South Korean-owned companies, including Hyundai Motor. Kim says IU Bloomington’s Institute for Korean Studies will help educate locals on Korean culture and customs, and the city will provide language classes for employees. Dukes says he hopes the partnership will lead to further business with Korea.