Forsee Power (FR0014005SB3 – FORSE), an expert in smart battery systems for sustainable electromobility, announces at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington D.C. that the Group establishes its North American headquarters and gigafactory in Hilliard, Ohio.
“We found Columbus to have the right ecosystem of potential supply chain partners, academic partners, and the right fit for workforce as we are looking at hiring production operators, R&D engineers and a full leadership team to run our North American activity.”
This is a major step in the development of the Group that now has a unique international footprint in the battery system industry.
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Building a ‘Buy America’ compliant presence in a very strategic market
The Group will continue serving existing customers and will develop a local customer base in North America. Forsee Power will establish an industrial base in the United States to target the growing commercial vehicle market, primarily buses, trucks, off-highway vehicles, light urban and utility vehicles and trains. This will not only optimize costs and the supply chain – which is beginning to take hold on the continent – but it is also a requirement for certain key markets such as the city bus market, which requires a local presence to comply with the FAST Act (70% of value must be produced locally in public procurement).
The Group will leverage its experience of more than 1,200 buses and 100,000 light vehicles equipped with Forsee Power batteries.
A scalable 3-GWh manufacturing site with 150 employees by 2027
Forsee Power has selected Hilliard, Ohio, located in the Columbus Region, to establish its North American headquarters and Gigafactory, pending approvals.
To quickly start operations, the Group will duplicate the production of existing products and product ranges, cover the needs of current and local customers with its line of battery systems, as well as systems designed specifically for the US market and foster the emergence of a local skills base.
The Group’s aim is to achieve production capacity of 3 GWh in the United States by 2027, which it estimates would involve first-phase investments of more than EUR 13 million, adapting its product offer to the local market, building production lines, and recruiting a local team of 150 employees.
The site, located at 4555 Lyman Drive in Hilliard, Ohio in the Columbus Region is 138,000 square feet (13,000 square meters) and will host corporate office, manufacturing operations and R&D capabilities. It is a scalable site, strategically located to attract operators and as well engineers in a fast-growing neighborhood.