Staff photo / R. Michael Semple Employees of Ultium Cells applaud during a celebration to mark production of 100 million cells.

LORDSTOWN — Five years to the day that General Motors and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution announced a partnership to build electric-vehicle battery cells at a plant in Ohio, top executives and employees celebrated a momentous milestone — 100 million cells produced at the Lordstown facility.

The special event was Thursday inside the sprawling Ultium Cells factory, which with about 2,200 employees is, according to the company, the largest employer in Northeast Ohio.

“Today is an incredible day. We’re so proud of the workforce, the milestones we have achieved,” said Tom Gallagher, vice president of operations for Ultium Cells. “There have been many along the way, but reaching 100 million cells is significant and it makes us one of the largest battery manufacturers in North America, so we’re excited about that.”

Among the executives in attendance were LG Energy Solution chief executive David Kim, who flew over the Pacific Ocean to attend; JP Clausen, GM’s executive vice president of global manufacturing and sustainability; Mike Booth, United Auto Workers vice president; and Kee Eun, chief executive of Ultium Cells.

Said Kim, the facility “represents a major step forward in our commitment to a zero-emissions future and job creation here in Ohio.”

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the dedicated teams at Ultium Cells. Your incredible work has made this possible,” Kim said.

Also in the crowd were George Goranitis and Josh Ayers, UAW Local 1112 president and the shop chairman, as well as former 1112 president David Green, who is UAW’s Region 2B director.

“What an amazing milestone to achieve and celebrate, the production of 100 million cells here at Ultium Cells, Lordstown, Ohio,” Ayers said. “I would be remiss not to mention another milestone achieved not too long ago. On Dec. 23, 2022, hourly workers at Ultium Cells were certified as members of the United Auto Workers, making it the first unionized battery cell plant in the United States.”

Ayers also thanked leadership and employees, acknowledging the collective efforts that contributed to the success at Ultium Cells.

“First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the UAW Local 1112 sisters and brothers for their unwavering commitment to improving quality, productivity and workplace safety. The improvements seen in these areas are a direct result of your hard work,” Ayers said. “I would also like to express gratitude to General Motors, LG Energy Solution and the UAW International for their commitment to the employees at Ultium Cells. The agreement reached between GM and the UAW signified a positive step forward in ensuring fair wages, improved working conditions and job security for all workers involved in the EV battery production at Ultium Cells.”

Said Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber, “We want to extend our congratulations to the entire Ultium team on this incredible milestone, especially the 2,200 Valley men and women working at the Warren facility. Ultium recognizes the winning combination we have here–a strong and experienced labor force, national research institution, tradition of innovation and the political willpower to work together to shape our region’s future. Its leadership’s commitment to the Valley has resulted in our ability to truly have ‘Voltage Valley’ be a hub for the EV industry.”

PRODUCTION

The announcement of the joint venture to create Ultium Cells and build cells in Lordstown was made Dec. 5, 2019. Construction on the 2.8 million-square-foot factory — the size of 30 football fields — began in May 2020. Cell production launched in August 2022.

The battery cells there are large-format, pouch-type cells that use a state-of-the-art chemistry to produce a greater range at less cost, according to the company.

If the 100 million cells produced in Lordstown were laid end to end, they would circle the Earth’s equator about 1.5 times, according to the company.

Thursday also marked the first time media were allowed on the manufacturing floor and given a tour of one of the three production areas — the formation floor, where the cells are finished for customer use — as well as the simulator room, an area where employees train on computers to run the machines like they were on the line.

Employees train for about three weeks before they start to work on the floor. The training is tailored to which production area of the plant the employee will work in, whether electrode, cell assembly or formation. The training also includes classroom instruction.

In electrode, the cells are mixed and coated before assembly, where they are stacked and packed. In formation, the cells go through a jig first.

“It’s roughly 2,000 pounds of pressure that goes onto the battery cell,” Zach Cherol of Canfield, shift lead manager for formation, said. “What that does is put heat and pressure onto the cell and it gets its first trickle charge. It goes to roughly 60% to 65%.”

Next, the cell is placed into a high temperature room — 140 degrees — for 24 hours before it’s stored in a rack for another day, allowing the temperature to settle. Next, any gas or fumes that built up inside the cell is released and the cell is trimmed to size. After, the cell is stored in a rack system. Once it leaves there, it sits for about five days and undergoes a series of voltage checks before going into a charge / discharge process.

“One thing about formation is we are temperature -controlled. Electrode and cell assembly are a clean room environment, it’s a little bit different because the battery is open, it’s being built. Here, because the battery is sealed and closed off, we don’t need to be a clean-room environment even though we are a clean area,” Cherol said.

It’s where the batteries get their charges, from 100% to 0% over and over for about four hours. It goes back into shipping racks for a couple of days for voltage checks and then to end of line, the last process before being shipped.