One of NAATBatt’s most significant accomplishments in 2021 will be the publication of the North American Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain Database.  The Database will provide a directory of all companies in North America that participate in any significant element of the lithium-ion battery supply chain and have a manufacturing facility or employ more than 10 people in North America.  A team at NREL led by Dr. Ahmad Pesaran is currently in the process of finalizing the Database.

The first opportunity for members of NAATBatt to see the Database will be during the meeting of the Manufacturing in North America Committee at 4:30-5:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 15 in the Emerald Room of the Suburban Collection Showcase in Novi, Michigan during the Battery Show.  If you will be at the show, please plan to stop by.  If not, note that members of the Manufacturing in North America Committee will be able to attend the meeting via Zoom.  I will e-mail a link to the final Database to all NAATBatt members on the evening of September 15.

The Database will be the first comprehensive directory of the companies in North America that participate in each significant element of the lithium-ion battery supply chain.  The Database builds off the work of the NAATBatt Manufacturing in North America, Battery Recycling and Battery Markets Committees, which earlier this year produced a map of all significant elements of that supply chain.

The Database is intended to be a valuable resource for any company looking for goods, services or supplies in North America relating to lithium battery technology.  As of the last week of August, NREL had identified 409 companies operating a total of 439 manufacturing facilities which meet the criteria to be included in the Database.  This number is expected to grow as NREL adds more companies and facilities prior to the Database’s initial finalization on September 15.

NAATBatt’s plan is for the Database to be a living document.  NAATBatt is currently exploring mechanisms by which the Database will be continuously updated as new companies and facilities in North America participate in the lithium-ion supply chain.  We are also exploring ways to make the Database more easily searchable and user-friendly.  Discussions among NAATBatt, NREL and the U.S. Department of Energy to that end are in progress.

NAATBatt members will be proud know that NAATBatt membership dues have paid for 100% of the cost of the Database.  The Database will note whether the companies it identifies are NAATBatt members.  But the Board of Directors of NAATBatt has determined that the Database will be a public resource accessible to anyone.  This is consistent with NAATBatt’s mission of promoting pre-competitive cooperation among all companies and governments in the North America in order to build a vibrant and successful advanced battery supply chain.  Making the Database public is just the right thing to do.

Thanks to all NAATBatt members who have done the right thing in helping to develop the Database.  I look forward to sharing it with you on September 15.