Energy Renaissance, an Australian lithium battery manufacturer, has appointed three Australian companies to provide key components that will be used to manufacture its superStorage family of batteries.
Through long term framework agreements and preferred supplier relationships, this forms part of the company’s move towards achieving 100 per cent onshoring of its manufacturing of batteries in Australia and contributes to 92 per cent of components in their batteries sourced from Australian companies:
- Academy Sheetmetal, a family-owned sheet metal manufacturer in Newcastle, NSW, will supply the steel cabinetry that is used for the Renaissance superRack and superPak;
- GPC Electronics, one of Australia’s largest contract electronics manufacturers in Penrith, NSW, will supply the printed circuit board assemblies that are used in the Battery Management Systems (BMS); and
- B&C Plastics, an Australian plastic moulding injection manufacturer in Brisbane, QLD, will supply the plastic components that are used in the packs.
32 of the 35 components that make up a superStorage battery are produced in Australia, validating Energy Renaissance’s commitment towards strengthening its local supply chain, creating local jobs and opportunities for all Australians.
“Energy Renaissance is dedicated to onshoring manufacturing in Australia so we can protect our customers against global supply chain constraints and unexpected price increases that come with increased freight costs,” Energy Renaissance managing director Mark Chilcote said.
“We started our business with a target to have 100 per cent of our manufacturing completed in Australia. However, this target can only be achieved with a long-term partnership with local suppliers who will invest in business to grow in line with our production requirements.
“Energy Renaissance is strengthening local manufacturing and, in the future, securing our supply chain for critical battery minerals when we commence the manufacturing of battery cells in Australia.”
Energy Renaissance’s procurement strategy includes:
- Supporting both small and medium businesses to large corporations;
- Partnering with values-based organisations who are committed to their customers, workforce safety, diversity and a quality assurance process; and
- Working closely with Australian companies to reduce the cost of producing components needed for superStorage batteries. In the longer term, this will make it more cost competitive for components to be manufactured locally as Australia competes with global manufacturers.
“While negotiating for supplier agreements, we found local manufacturers who are price competitive with similar components made with a higher quality standard than what we would have to import,” Chilcote said.
“This has challenged our views on sourcing for components globally and highlighted that we do have many local companies who share our passion of onshoring manufacturing.”
Energy Renaissance continues to negotiate local supply agreements as it ramps up the production of Australian-made batteries.