At The Battery Show India 2025, The Battery Magazine engaged in an in-depth discussion with Mr. Aji Philip, Head – Lithium-Ion-Battery Business Unit, Dürr India, to understand the company’s advancements and technological direction in the evolving battery manufacturing landscape. Mr. Manas Nandi, Editor-in-Chief of The Battery Magazine, sat down with Mr. Philip to explore Dürr India’s strategic vision, new product developments, and its commitment to driving sustainability in energy-storage manufacturing.
During the interaction, Mr. Philip highlighted Dürr India’s strong legacy in plant engineering and automation, its comprehensive experience in the automotive sector, and the company’s growing focus on battery production systems. He elaborated on Dürr’s journey since entering the battery domain in 2018, its partnership with GROB, and its development of an end-to-end solution encompassing electrode manufacturing, cell assembly, and process automation through iTAC.
Sustainability emerged as a central theme, with a particular emphasis on the next generation Dry-coating technology and state-of the-art Simultaneous Coating technology with NMP recovery systems for classic Wet Coating systems.
Let us delve into this exclusive conversation to learn more about Dürr India’s innovations, customer-centric approach, and vision for a more sustainable future in battery manufacturing.
How was The Battery Show India 2025 for Dürr India this year?
The experience at this year’s Battery Show was truly remarkable. We witnessed a much higher response compared to last year, with significantly greater footfall and engagement. It was encouraging to see the growing maturity and understanding of the visitors toward the battery industry. Although the sector in India is still relatively young, the level of awareness has advanced considerably. Overall, it marked a clear step forward into the future.
Could you please introduce Dürr India and share an overview of its product portfolio?
Dürr provides complete plant engineering solutions, including paint shops, automation, digitalization, and energy-efficient systems, and has been a trusted partner to the Indian automotive industry since 1997. In the battery sector, Dürr delivers end-to-end electrode manufacturing solutions with coating, drying, solvent recovery, calendaring, slitting and distillation systems achieving up to 95% efficiency. The rise of electric vehicles and the increasing demand for sustainable solutions have been a booster for us in establishing ourselves as a key player in the Indian automotive market. Our Global Engineering Center in Chennai allows us to leverage local engineering talent alongside international expertise, catering to Dürr’s global entities.
What distinguishes Dürr India from other suppliers of battery production technology?
Dürr positions itself as a turnkey provider of electrode-related solutions, focusing clearly on process expertise and partnership. We are the only company that can offer a complete electrode production solution from a single source, from the coating system and dryer to solvent recovery and calendering – for the whole package we use our own technologies. The advantage lies not only in technological depth, but also in the seamless coordination of all process steps, since we develop and supply every component ourselves. The result is an integrated, optimised solution that provides our customers with planning certainty and operational efficiency. We don’t just see ourselves as equipment suppliers; we see ourselves as reliable partners who work alongside customers, from planning to commissioning, to deliver high-quality results.
What are the key offerings and technologies Dürr India showcased at this year’s exhibition?
At our joint booth with GROB, we present a new concept factory for lithium-ion cell production with our X.Cellify DC dry coating and GROB’s Z-folder 3.0 for cell assembly. Thanks to those powerful and innovative technologies, production requires 50 percent less space and 70 percent less energy, resulting in significantly higher space efficiency and lower operating costs for our customers.
We have also developed a new process for electrolyte filling, which enables battery cells to be filled in a single step without residual gas. Unlike the conventional process, the electrolyte is filled directly into the cells at up to 30 bar. The filling pressure is thus two to three times higher than the current industry standard. Our process design enables precise dosing and shortens both the filling process and the subsequent penetration of the electrolyte into the active material.
For EV battery production, Dürr offers a comprehensive portfolio for application of adhesives, sealants and thermal interface materials. Because of the different application processes and the constantly changing requirements of the batteries, Dürr has developed a modular product kit for battery bonding with components based on a standardised system. In this way, we can flexibly respond to customer requirements and create customised bonding systems. The modular product kit includes an efficient continuous dosing system for large-volume applications. The EcoShot Meter Tandem combines two dosing units, so no time is wasted refilling the units, enabling short cycle times and lower investment costs.
How does Dürr India engage with its customers through the project lifecycle?
At Dürr India, our engagement with customers begins right from the planning phase. We have an in-house consultancy team that supports clients in developing plant layouts, defining processes, and scaling up capacity.
Our involvement continues through the engineering, manufacturing, project execution, installation, and commissioning stages. Since we have a fully functional operation in India, we are largely self-reliant, except for certain technology transfers from our global network.
We also have local expertise in design, execution, and service support, ensuring complete project continuity. Our service team handholds the customer from the start of installation until the lifetime of the plant, offering ongoing technical support and maintenance assistance.
Could you elaborate on the kind of service support Dürr India provides, and what turnaround time customers can expect?
Dürr offers customer support in all corners of the globe. Always on hand to help reduce production costs, improve plant availability and guarantee rapid technical support. Whether the customer is dealing with an emergency in the here and now, or planning and implementing a relaunch – we’re always there to support our customers.
OUR SERVICE – READY ON DEMAND
- Ramp-up and launch management
- Modifications and upgrades
- Engineering with experience
- Spare parts service
- Inspection and maintenance
- Service locations all over the world
What lies ahead for Dürr India in the battery sector?
The focus is on the further development of dry coating, commercialization and ramp-up. To foster a strong market presence, we are bringing together our products for electrode manufacturing and electrolyte filling under the new brand “X.Cellify.” We continue to develop our relationships with technical partners and customers, realizing mutually beneficial relationships.
Electrify your feed! Click here to join our Whatsapp group and to get the latest updates, expert insights, and innovations driving India’s energy storage revolution.
