Nilar International AB has signed a new offtake agreement with Indutecc Renewable Solutions to deliver ReOx® batteries for integrated energy storage systems. The new agreement entails an order of EUR 10 million, or approximately SEK 110 million.

On May 7, Nilar International AB signed an offtake agreement with Indutecc Renewable Solutions. Indutecc is a leading manufacturer of electrical systems and automation solutions in the Netherlands, and the agreement represents a next step in the collaboration that began earlier this year. The company has long been an established specialist in technology and consultancy in solar energy installations and energy storage systems and is part of the 100-year-old Dutch family group Schuurman Group.

For a few months now, Indutecc and Nilar have been working in a joint development project to integrate Nilar’s ReOx® batteries into Indutecc’s energy storage solution for the commercial real estate market segment with system sizes between 50 and 500 kWh.

– The agreement we sign with Indutecc is the largest in Nilar’s history. It is not only a statement of strength for our unique batteries with a focus on safety and sustainability, but also an important step closer to our high-set goals, says Erik Oldmark, CEO of Nilar International.

The batteries will be delivered starting in March 2024. Indutecc has previously acquired a number of energy systems from Enequi in which Nilar’s batteries are integrated, the goal is to sell around thirty finished solutions in 2023.

– Nilar’s unique battery technology with strong advantages in sustainability and safety fills an important and clear need in the market as well as for the green energy transition. With the new agreement, we ensure an important piece in being able to offer high quality energy storage solutions with innovative functions for our customers energy challenges, says Rino van Deventer, CEO of Schuurman Group.

Batteries will play an increasingly important role going forward, especially considering our transition to renewable energy and the increasing electrification of society. The expectation is for an annual growth of 40%.

However, there needs to be a larger discussion about which type of battery is best suited to different applications. Important characteristics such as voltage, energy density, flame safety, performance and durability are determined by the battery’s construction and chemical content. Therefore, the application of different battery types also varies.

Lithium batteries have many advantages, but also an increased risk of health-threatening fires. I hope that the fire in Gothenburg reminds us of the need to research and develop solutions that make the best use of the characteristics of the various battery technologies. We don’t yet know how the fire started, but let this be a reminder that the right battery for the right purpose increases safety.

The water-based electrolyte in Nilar’s batteries cannot ignite or burn, making our batteries particularly suitable for use in reliable stationary energy storage in the home, office or industry. At the same time, there are other battery types that are better suited to electric vehicles or smartphones.

Simply put, the right battery in the right place.

Erik Oldmark
CEO Nilar International AB

Article in Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter “Lithium batteries on fire in Gothenburg” https://www.dn.se/sverige/litiumbatterier-i-brand-i-goteborg-vma-om-farlig-rok/

How would you describe yourself?
I would describe myself as a joyful individual who laughs easily and enjoys being in social settings. At the same time, I am ambitious and reliable, which I believe are important qualities in both personal and professional contexts.

What led you to work in the energy storage industry?
I had been following Nilar for a long time, thus when the opportunity to join the company came up, it felt like the obvious choice. What attracted me were several things, partly the battery industry in general, but above all the opportunity to be part of an organization that wants to create an innovative product. Furthermore, it felt particularly interesting from an HR perspective to contribute to the growth journey.

What is the most common misconception about your role?
I think a common misconception about HR is that we are expected to know the workplace regulations, laws and collective agreements by heart. There may be some incredible people out there who do, but I’m not quite there yet. However, in most cases I do know how to get answers to questions, and how to interpret and apply them. Many areas can also be complicated and difficult to define with a simple answer.

What is the coolest thing you are working on right now?
I have just started a really cool project. We are currently developing a recruitment strategy that will help us attract talented individuals from different backgrounds. We are actively working to create an inclusive workplace where diversity and differences are seen as strengths, and recruitment is a crucial part of this.

To give a more concrete example, my boss and I just finished a workshop on values and feedback with one of our departments here at Nilar. It’s amazing to see the engagement that exists, and it’s very energizing to be part of the group’s development.

What motivates you?
I am motivated by being part of the development of individuals and the organization. To elaborate, it could for example be to carry out a recruitment process and follow an employee’s journey within the company, and to see that it’s a great match for both parties. It can also be to support a manager in a personnel-related matter and then with time see that it has had a positive effect on the individual or the group.

Early mistakes that you learnt from in your career?
I learn something new every day, so it’s difficult to point out a specific occasion or event. However, I believe that over the years as a professional, you build up greater confidence in yourself and your abilities. Above all, by daring to argue for one’s cause and stand up for one’s opinions. It is not always easy to do that as a recent graduate or junior in a role, but my perception is that people often have more potential and can contribute more than they think. I’ve carried that with me throughout my career.

Your favorite hobby?
I have quite a few interests, but something that stands out is mainly football and travelling. It’s perfect when they can be combined, which is almost always the case. It has taken me to many unexpected places both in Sweden and around the world. I also play soccer myself and think it’s great fun to compete in anything.

What’s the best thing about working at Nilar?
My favorite thing about working at Nilar is above all the people. It’s amazing to be surrounded daily by people who are very skilled at what they do, while also being more than happy to share their experiences and knowledge in their field. I am constantly learning and growing here.

Nilar has recently announced John Häger as a new Director of the board, effective from March 2023. Häger is currently CEO of Duroc AB (publ) and Chairman of the board of Duroc Group. He has held a broad range of executive positions at Sandvik Coromant including Managing Director (Nordic incl Baltics and Poland) and various management positions within marketing and product development at Sandvik Automation and Madison Heights.

Gunnar Wieslander, Chairman of the board, comments: “John Häger’s extensive experience in the manufacturing industry and knowledge of business development makes him a valuable asset to the board of directors and Nilar’s continued development.”

John Häger comments, “I think Nilar is an interesting company as it truly has a timely product that is strongly linked to sustainability. The global interest for energy storage and the optimal use of energy systems will only increase going forward. General electrification for consumers and industrial applications is still in its infancy, thus the potential for a company like Nilar is significant, which I find exciting. Nilar’s battery has special properties compared to other technical solutions, such as safety, which are a great advantage.”

When discussing the future of the battery industry, Häger believes that the quest for reduced carbon dioxide emissions and increased demand for energy storage solutions will drive growth in the industry. He also predicts more players on both the battery and system side going forward, and a maturation of the industry that may make it easier to build energy systems that include batteries and other components.

Finally, Häger also highlighted one of the challenges he sees for Nilar in the energy and electricity market. “An example is what we have all experienced during the past year with a very changeable electricity market. This will drive demand for autonomous systems that reduce vulnerability to these variations, which is positive for Nilar.”

Learn more here about the Board of Directors at Nilar.

Currently, we are using multiple AI systems in our production process. The AI systems have been developed in-house and through collaborations, such as with RISE. As a result of implementing AI, we have experienced a significant increase in efficiency and the ability to identify potential defects. This allows us to maintain a high quality in the battery module production, and we continue to explore new ways to integrate AI into our production process.

In the video, you can see when we presented our technology to Mats Persson, Swedish Minister for Education. The AI system shown has been developed in partnership with RISE and is used as part of battery module production. The AI system captures thousands of images per day. This technology enables traceability to earlier module configurations with its advanced image analysis, which would be impossible to achieve manually. This provides us with high quality control that could not be done before as the AI checks images of each layer in the module to detect potential defects.

– In production we see significant benefits with AI driven built-in technology. It helps us to make faster and more repetitive decisions in the facility while also allowing for better rotation of work positions, says Jim Wennmark, Production Manager at Nilar International AB.

Furthermore, we also developed our own AI model with the help of a statistician who was curious about this area, Gustav Thunström, Data Analyst at Nilar. This AI model was inspired by the previous project with RISE and uses data from the curves in the formation process to detect defects. By identifying errors more efficiently and earlier in the process, we can enhance our environmental and economic sustainability.

How would you describe yourself?
I would say that I am a calm and analytical thinker who likes to get things done! I want to base decisions on facts rather than gut feelings, even though gut feelings can be a good indicator on what fact to prove or reject. 

I’m also someone who tends to always fill my time and keep myself busy with multiple tasks at once. I have realized that I need to finish things before starting something else, but I’ts fun to be involved in many things. 

I’m also an analytic person. I like to dig into things and try to understand the root cause of a problem. At Nilar this means that you have the opportunity to be a part of many improvements to change the outcome. 

What led you to work in the energy storage industry?
After spending 32 years in the Telecom industry, I felt I needed a change, so I started to think about what kind of industry I would like to work in. Nilar was one of the companies I applied for due to environmental thinking, even though there were no open positions at the time,  and it turned out they were in need of a person that could structure and analyze data collection.

How did your journey with Nilar begin?
By connecting all production machines, I built a data warehouse. I also added code tothe data for the factory and processed  stored data. This can ease potential expansions going forward. I like to have solutions you can scale.

3,5 years have passed since then, and a lot has happened in that time. Through my role as an IT Demand Manager at the newly formed IT department I can help the organization to get easier access to information, through digitalization and structuring. I think this will be an interesting year going forward.

What is the most common misconception about your role?
Many people assume that I always have all the necessary numbers and information memorized in my head, but it doesn’t work that way for me. But in most cases I do know where to find them.

What is the coolest thing you are working on right now?
I would say one of the coolest projects that I am currently working on is the development of a Picture AI together with RISE. It’s able to analyze pictures taken as part of the production process to identify any errors in the assembly process of a module. This saves us a lot of time and helps us to make fast adjustments. We have already implemented the first version in production. Another cool thing in my work is to see how individuals in our team develop over time.

What motivates you?
I am motivated by problem-solving and  finding solutions that can be applied to more than just one thing. Making people happy is also something I care about and a big motivator for me.

Early mistakes that you learnt from in your career?
Once I accidentally stopped the delivery from a factory for nearly 1,5 weeks due to a manual mistake. The mistake led to the destruction of a spectrum analyzer that was utilized in multiple areas of the factory to do the final check.The cost of replacing the analyzer was comparable to the cost of a house for a family of four. I chose to be honest and when I told my manager what had happened, he didn’t get angry at all, just glad I told him. This experience taught me the importance of honesty at a workplace and I believe the honesty to tell what happened directly payed off. The factory also learned a valuable lesson to not only have one instrument. After this they bought at least one more to prevent it from happening again.

Your favorite hobby?
I’m a multi-music person and enjoy listening to various types of music like classic rock, singer/songwriters, blues, country and rock. For me it’s more important that the music has a meaning and israw and honest, rather than being perfect. And of course, it should be live if it’s possible.

Another hobby of mine is traveling that easily can be combined with music and my other hobbies, filming and taking photos. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to travel and experience music as much as I’ve wanted to in the last couple of years due to Covid-19. However, I was able to go on a motorcycle trip to Oslo last year to see Thomas Gabriel, The Ark and Tom Jones live in Stockholm, and Europe in Gävle.I also helped my friend Jamie Meyer on my vacation with somefilming at a concert he held last summer. It was great fun to do it with multiple cameras, but it takes a lot of time to edit the movies.

What’s the best thing about working at Nilar?
One of the best things, except the people that works here, is the size of the company. I’m used to big, political organizations with a lot of bureaucracy. At Nilar, decision paths are short.

The Swedish Minister for Education, Mats Persson, recently visited our facility in Gävle, Sweden. During his visit, he met Erik Oldmark, CEO of Nilar who talked about our unique battery technology that can be refilled with new life, which has the potential to put Sweden on the map.

A tour of the facility was then given to Mats Persson. During the tour several of Nilar’s battery experts explained the different production steps in the facility as well as the innovations they are working on at the moment. These innovations contribute to driving battery research forward.

“If we are unable to expand and develop our electric distribution network with batteries as a very important component, then we will not be able to electrify our transport industry and our transport sector”, said Erik Oldmark, CEO at Nilar.

Mats Persson also spoke about the importance for Sweden of research-intensive companies like Nilar.

“Engineering has made the country strong in the past and will continue to make it wealthy in the future. Without investing in research and development we are lost as a nation”, said Mats Persson, Swedish Minister for Education.

He also emphasized the need for new policies to create better conditions for battery research in Sweden. These include investing in the latest technology, ensuring there are enough engineers in the education system, and investing in mathematics in elementary schools.

To conclude, the visit by the Swedish Minister for Education highlights the growing importance of battery technology for Sweden. It also highlights the need for continued investment in this area to drive innovation and economic growth. With companies like Nilar leading the way, Sweden is well-positioned to become a global leader in battery technology and drive the transition to a more sustainable, electrified future.

With today’s deteriorating security situation, an ongoing energy crisis, and the transition to completely fossil-free energy production, Europe must become more self-sufficient in strategically relevant supply chains and energy supply. This is according to Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), in an interview with the Financial Times (23/2 2023).

Birol believes that there is still much to do to diversify the energy supply. He advocates for a green transition that is not only based on renewable energy sources but also ensures that more wind turbines and batteries are manufactured in Europe. Today’s uncertain times clearly show that we can no longer rely on global supply chains and energy production from individual countries. Birol raised all of this with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen when they met last week in Brussels.

We are entering a new industrial age of clean energy technology manufacturing,” he said. “The two powers [in clean energy manufacturing] are China and the US — relying on one single country is always a bad idea. So if we want diversification Europe is a good candidate.” says Fatih Birol.

Increased energy security is achieved through more and better energy storage solutions. Nilar’s batteries play a vital role as the share of renewable and often unpredictable energy sources increases. In addition, Nilar is one of the few battery manufacturers that has production in Sweden and with a unique technology that reduces the need for raw materials and components from regions outside of Europe.

“I share Birol’s assessment that European battery production will become increasingly strategic in the coming years. Our business idea is based on a circular production chain, where technical expertise and production come together in Gävle”, says Erik Oldmark, CEO of Nilar International AB.

Link to the article: https://www.ft.com/content/a3649a57-122b-4418-a44e-f306c194ad74

How would you describe yourself? 
Over the years, I’ve been told that I’m trustworthy, knowledgeable, and helpful. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am always curious about gaining new knowledge, experiences, and I am not afraid to take on new challenges and areas of work. At the same time, I like to understand and give things structure, and I believe in the motto that right should be right. Apart from this, I see myself as a social person who likes to participate in conversations and meetings, whether it is business meetings or spontaneous conversations by the coffee machine.

What led you to work in the energy storage industry?
I have always liked working with products and services that promote sustainability and have a positive impact on the environment and the battery industry is clearly an industry that can contribute to just that and make our world a better place.

How did your journey with Nilar begin?
I had heard and read a little about the company before, although my first direct contact with the company was through a recruiter who reached out to me about a potential career opportunity at Nilar. This gave me some new insights of the product and made me more curious of Nilar’s vision of creating sustainable energy solutions and was eager to learn more.

What is the most common misconception about your role?  
A lot of people believe that a Product Manager is solely responsible for all aspects of a product, but that is not the case. A Product Manager works cross-functional in many teams and areas to bring a product to market. It can be company product targeting and offer, aesthetic and industrial design and writing specifications, to name a few.

What is the coolest thing you are working on right now?  
As I’m new to the position I have to read a lot of information and talk to as many people as possible to better understand the market segment and the company. It will then be easier for me to better understand the best way forward for Nilar and the products. I also find the human and technology interface between market, customer, and product really interesting.

What motivates you?   
I am motivated by new knowledge and unexplored ground, but perhaps above all working with nice and knowledgeable people who inspire me to be my best.

Early mistakes that you learnt from in your career?  
One early mistake I learned from is the belief that you can do everything yourself. While it is important to take on responsibility and be self-sufficient, it is equally important to seek help and support from others. By reaching out and collaborating with others, you can learn even quicker and achieve your goals more efficiently. People generally like to help when you reach out to them, because then they feel knowledgeable and needed.

Your favorite hobby?  
Music has always been in my life since childhood, I enjoy both listening to and playing music, which I have brought up again recently. I often go to concerts and really like all kinds of music, but my heart beats extra hard for rock and metal. My current favorite band is Ghost because they have the whole package of music, image and a stage show that sets them apart.

A secret talent or special skill?  
As a child, I often drew, whether I was at home or in the car. So, I always got a lot of encouragement from teachers and others for my drawing skills. While I have not continued to draw in recent years, I hope to return to it in the future, perhaps as a hobby in retirement.

What’s the best thing about working at Nilar?  
As I mentioned I’m new to the company. My first impression is that it seems to be a good group of people working for a product they believe will make a positive difference to a more sustainable future.

Several important developments during a challenging year
2022 has been an unusual and important year in Nilar’s development. We started the year with halted production and continued great uncertainty in the wake of covid-19. But the journey that Nilar has made in 2022 is in many ways outstanding. As CEO, I am proud that we in a short time changed the strategy and started the production of the next generation Nilar battery, Nilar ReOx^®. In fact, the only battery in the world that can be refilled with new life.

The new strategy is based on our expertise and the core of the business – the battery itself. Together with selected partners, we build customized battery solutions where Nilar’s batteries reach their full potential in smart energy storage systems. With the next-generation battery in place, we offer a high-performance, safe and sustainable solution that can be adapted to the specific needs of our partners and customers.

A sustainable green energy transition
The green energy transition continues to be an important driving force for the battery market and our business. Nilar’s idea is to speed up electrification and the green transition. We make batteries for sustainable energy storage, which is crucial for a green transition that works. We ensure that electricity is available when it is needed and not only when it is produced.

In order for Sweden and Europe to cope with the green transition and at the same time strengthen their global competitiveness, our domestic battery production will be strategically important – not least in a world where self-sufficiency has become more important.

Nilar has a patent on a battery design based on nickel. The advantages of using nickel are many; longer lifespan, less risk of fire and not least the large amounts of extractable nickel found in Europe. For us, it is important to contribute to the green transition in a sustainable way in the form of necessary energy storage in our energy systems. This with a technology that has the potential to break the dependence on input goods from regions where production is not transparent. In addition we are the only ones with a battery that can be recycled and reused several times over. That is sustainability for real.

Nearly doubled production rate
At our factory in Gävle, we produce and develop our batteries with our own innovations, patents and entrepreneurial spirit. In October, the production started of the next-generation battery, Nilar ReOx^®. This is an important milestone in the collaboration with Enequi and the first step in an order for a total of 800 batteries with accompanying software.

In 2023, the production rate will increase further. To be more exact, the production will nearly double from the levels in October. The batteries will be used both commercially together with Enequis solutions as well as in test systems and pilot projects. They will also be used to replace previous generations of Nilar batteries in older systems out in the market.

Nearly doubling the production rate in our factory in Gävle is an important part of our plan to systematically increase production. Together with selected partners, such as Enequi, we will continue to develop smart battery solutions. During the fourth quarter, a new collaboration was started with Dutch Mc Energy. The project is on schedule and at this rate we will be ready to take major orders in 2023 with delivery in 2024.

Strengthening of the management team
We have also strengthened our management during the year. In December 2022, Ulf Sandegren took office as the new CFO for Nilar. He most recently comes from listed Hifab AB and has several years of experience in developing finance, risk management, compliance and budget management at companies such as Metria, Bankgirot and Capgemini. As CFO, Ulf will have an important role in the implementation of Nilar’s new strategy.

The right conditions for 2023
We still have a lot to prove, but with a new strategy in place, a unique product that is demanded by the market, and production going according to plan, our starting point for 2023 is significantly better than last year. There are still challenges ahead, but also good reasons to look forward to a year in which we can tick off the milestones we have set, step by step.

Erik Oldmark, CEO Nilar

Read the full Year-end report for 2022 here