Ballard Power Systems this month unveiled a global strategy with plans to deepen its manufacturing footprint in Europe, the United States and China to support market demand growth through 2030.
“Our global manufacturing vision for 2030 is to have scaled ‘local for local’ manufacturing of leading fuel cell engines and components in our core regional markets of Europe, North America and China to support future industry growth patterns and volumes across our verticals,” stated Ballard CEO Randy MacEwen.
As part of this “local for local” strategy, Burnaby-born Ballard has entered into an investment agreement with the Government of Anting in Shanghai’s Jiading District to establish new China headquarters, as well as a membrane electrode assembly manufacturing facility and research and development centre. The HQ will be strategically located at the Jiading Hydrogen Port, located in one of China’s leading automotive industry clusters.
“In the case of China, we already have volume manufacturing capacity for fuel cell engines, bipolar plates, and stack assembly,” says MacEwen. “With our continued high conviction on long-term scaled adoption in China of fuel cell electric vehicles for medium- and heavy-duty motive applications, we are now addressing long-term capacity in that market for our proprietary MEAs.”
Fuel-cell firm Ballard plans to invest well over $100 million over the next three years, which will enable annual production capacity at the new production facility to supply for approximately 20,000 engines. The facility is planned to be in operation in 2025.
In 2021, Ballard completed a manufacturing expansion in Canada. With the new MEA capacity coming online in China, Ballard expects its global capacity to support total demand requirements through the second half of the decade.
“To be competitive in China requires investment in China,” added Alfred Wong, Ballard China CEO. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Anting, Jiading District, which has quickly become a key hydrogen technology hub in China.”
Ballard Power Systems was founded in Burnaby in 1979.
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