EVBF Newsletter Aug 2023

We’ve got News Ardmac EVBF Solutions Quarterly Newsletter Aug 2023

04 DRY ROOM REQUIREMENTS

Hello from Ardmac,

Welcome to our quarterly newsletter, where we will keep you up to date with current developments and thinking within our Electric Vehicle Battery Facility business unit. In this issue we have an overview of dry room applications and requirements, a look at our North East Giga Factory project, a detailed piece on moisture control, findings from Fergus Nugent’s work on IPD and lean construction. We also have a profile on Stefan Hopwood, Ardmac’s Senior Project Manager, sustainable project delivery and more. We hope you enjoy reading and if there is anything you’d like to see in future issues, please let us know.

06 EV BATTERY MANUFACTURING PROCESSES AND CONTAMINATION CONTROL

08 CASE STUDY : NORTH EAST GIGA FACTORY

10 IMPORTANCE OF MOISTURE CONTROL IN CLEAN AND DRY ROOMS

14 FINDINGS: DOES THE USE OF INTEGRATED PROJECT DELIVERY REMOVE BARRIERS TO LEAN CONSTRUCTION AND BIM ADOPTION?

16 MEET STEFAN HOPWOOD

18 SUSTAINABLE PROJECT DELIVERY

20 ARDMAC EVENTS

22 CPD COURSES

23 CYCLE FOR HOPE 2023

Ardmac EVBF Clean and Dry room team

Enda Murphy Managing Director

Dermot McKenna Associate Director Business Development dermot.mckenna@ardmac.com +353 (0) 86 81 35475

Fergus Nugent Associate Director Project Management

enda.murphy@ardmac.com +353 (0) 85 88 88340

fergus.nugent@ardmac.com +353 (0) 86 04 63604

Stefan Hopwood Senior Project Manager

Peter Lonergan Associate Director Pre-Construction

stefan.hopwood@ardmac.com +44 (0) 7355 035431

peter.lonergan@ardmac.com +353 (0) 86 04 23176

dry cleanroom requirements

Pure lithium metal is extremely sensitive to even tiny amounts of moisture in the air, and leads to reduced performance and reliability over the battery life cycle.

With the latest LI chemistries, lithium salts are used to keep the electrolytes stable. In some chemistries, moisture leads to the generation of hydrogen fluoride as an undesired by-product, which leads to gassing and bloating up of Prismatic and Pouch batteries, thereby reducing performance and life expectancy. Lithium-ion batteries are affected by uncontrolled temperature and humidity during manufacturing stages, in particular electrolyte filling and then battery assembly leading to quality issues around: • Reduced performance (charging capacity) • Reduced product lifetime • Safety issues, including chances of explosion Lithium-ion battery production, takes place in controlled environment rooms now commonly referred to as ‘dry cleanrooms’ which are hermetically sealed with ultra-low humidity control. Battery cleanrooms require low humidity (moisture) levels of cleanliness for LI battery manufacturing processing to ensure product quality in terms of yield, reliability, and safety. Energy management and smart design is critical to manage costs.

When there are people present, comfort conditions must be maintained. The average person releases 1500 to 2000 grains per hour through breathing, and perspiration. This must be addressed by the HVAC system. Therefore, modern Giga Battery dry cleanrooms use high levels of robotics and automation.

Return air walls

FFU and grid cleanroom ceiling grid construction

PLENUM ZONE

Cooling coils

ANTI-STATIC FLOORING

Cleanroom panel Inner wall

Vapour barriers

EV battery Manufacturing Processes and Contamination Control EV battery manufacturing processes are complex, sensitive, and delicate, in a multi-stage sequence with mixing, pumping, coating, injection, calendering, ageing and assembly operations.

EV battery contaminants include moisture, particles and static, chemical and electrical fire and safety risks. Therefore, robotics and automation are extensively used to provide both product component protection and personal safety. Typically, there are 4 processes to EV battery manufacturing. The following process steps are indicative of a typical battery, chemistries, and technologies. These process steps are carried out in multiple and different, interconnected dry cleanrooms and storage areas, within the overall EV battery manufacturing facility. Electrode Manufacturing Raw materials are combined to produce a slurry material. This is coated onto a metallic substrate producing individual anode and cathode electrodes. The anode and cathode materials must be separate, always, to prevent contamination. Cell Assembly (Cylindrical/Pouch) The electrodes are brought together but separated by a ‘separator’. The electrolyte solution is injected into the cell.

Formation, Ageing & Testing During the formation process, the cell receives it’s first electrical charge. A process of charging & discharging forms a protective layer on the electrodes. This protects the active material from the electrolyte solution. Module Assembly Individual cells are mechanically connected to form the battery module.

DRY CLEANROOMS THE WAY

INTELLIGENT DESIGN

SMART CONTROL

ENERGY EFFICIENT

WORKING SMART

FIRESTOPPING

SCALE AND SPEED

Certainty of performance

VAPOUR SHIELD

Case Study: North East Giga Factory Client: Confidential Location: Washington, Sunderland. Project Size: 70,000m2+ of classified & non classified space. Programme: Aug 2023 - present.

Ardmac were recently appointed to design and build both clean and dry production spaces on a major new giga factory in the North East of England. This includes HVAC design, structural dependencies for all in scope systems, all non-classified ancillary spaces/labs and all fire compartmentation walls. Ardmac have carefully utilised the client’s environmental conditions and utilities matrix to develop a compliant, and suitable space, with the best value and most efficient air recirculation design, providing efficiencies and solutions for both capital expenditure and operational expenditure benefits. Critical to the success of this project is the close coordination with the client, their process equipment vendor and the supplier of all major plant and equipment elements that interface with Ardmac’s clean and dry room envelope and services. Early engagement ensured the agreed handshake points throughout the facility have been an overriding success, satisfying our client that their new facility is being thoroughly coordinated, designed and built in accordance with their needs. This facility uses an air management concept based on FFUs with separate dehumidification units and tertiary cooling systems. Classifications are ISO 8 through ISO 6 with variable dew point temperature between –20c and -45c. In 2011, Ardmac were also appointed as dry cleanroom contractor on the original battery manufacturing factory in Washington, Sunderland. Our scope of works included detailed design and installation of the cleanroom envelope including rapid roller conveyor hatches, luminaires, fan filter units,

partitions, ceilings, flooring, doors, builders work openings, fire stopping and furniture, fixtures and equipment. The project was handed over on schedule and in accordance with the project requirements.

“Having worked with Ardmac design team for several months, Wates have found them to be highly motivated in providing ourselves and the client with an experienced team of designers who work collaboratively within the wider project design team, utilising project specific BIM requirements. Information has been issued to the agreed timescales and to a high standard to enable detailed reviews to be undertaken, and finalised details and agreements to be made with the client prior to conclusion of the design process. Ardmac’s deep knowledge and understanding of the proposed products has helped understand other key secondary work elements.”

Jonathan Curwen | Senior Design Manager | Construction North East

Giga Factory Electric Vehicle Battery Facilities: Importance of Moisture Control in Clean & Dry rooms The drive in the Electric Vehicle (EV) battery industry is to increase storage capacities, that last longer and are lighter, charge faster and are safer, and if this is not enough, come in different configurations. This will mean new chemistries and structures, higher density and more narrow film separators between cells.

The EV battery market is growing rapidly as the demand for electric vehicles increases. The global market for electric vehicle batteries is expected to reach $225 billion by 2027. This growth is driven by several factors, including the move to climate rebalancing and carbon reduction, the falling cost of electric vehicle batteries, government incentives and subsidies for electric vehicles. To meet this demand, giga scale facilities must place increasing emphasis on integrated contamination control within the manufacturing environment. This is key to a safe facility and successful product: product failures lead to poor reliability and in some cases catastrophic impacts. A well-integrated contamination control strategy is required and must address all the contaminant risks of moisture and particles, as well as the associated static control and safety risk around gases, both in the manufacturing process and thermal runaway.

electrolytes are highly sensitive and reactive to moisture, so when using them as the basis for EV battery production, it is essential to operate in extremely low humidity controlled cleanrooms and dry cleanrooms. There are numerous reasons for this, from ensuring the highest possible quality and production yield, to providing a safe working space for employees. Issues with moisture can reduce production uptime leading to lost product, poor reliability, significant costs and negative impacts on the environment, also affecting the reputation of a brand and shareholder value. Modern and future EV battery facilities are not just one single ballroom. EV battery manufacturing process steps require dedicated areas such as mixing, coating, deposition, stacking, laminating, milling, electrolyte filling, finishing, packaging and formation. Many of these are separate and dedicated manufacturing spaces, with different environmental control set points and different challenges. Future EV battery manufacturing processes around additive manufacturing, including 3D printing using lithographic techniques will still

Background

Lithium and other materials, including future solid-state variants around electrodes and

require dry cleanrooms, particularly at higher densities and micro-miniaturisation where airborne particles become even more important. Cleanroom and Dry cleanroom A properly designed dry cleanroom is firstly a “Clean Vapour Shield”. This is a vapour-tight cleanroom envelope to minimise moisture and outside airborne particle infiltration. Dedicated PALs and MALs, i.e. air locks for personnel entry/exit and material air locks for raw material and equipment movement control, are used to manage the routine passage of staff and materials. These are typically interlocked, and access controlled with swipe cards. Floors provide a vapour barrier that is static dissipative and, in some areas, conductive in order to eliminate static electricity as part of Fire and Safety control. These facilities require fire separation and segregation, and come in different room heights to suit process requirements and mini-environments. MALs and PALs must be kept at positive pressure to prevent contaminant infiltration and dry cleanrooms require airborne particle filtration, typically to meet ISO Class 6, 7 or 8 levels, according to ISO 14644-1 cleanroom standards, depending on the exact manufacturing process requirements.

process layouts is of critical importance in the design of the dry cleanrooms as the very nature of the manufacturing process generates contamination, both particles, gases and moisture.

Moisture Control

The key metric in moisture control is the dew point— the temperature at which water vapour in ambient air starts to condense. The lower the dew point, the lower the water vapour content in the air. Even small amounts of moisture in the air can affect the integrity and compromise the quality of the finished EV battery. This can impact anything from the cell performance to the lifetime of the battery. The generally accepted dew point for lithium battery production is below -40°C (< 1% relative humidity), and as low as -70°C with new battery chemistries that are more moisture sensitive. While traditional Glove boxes can be used for small-scale R&D laboratories, high-volume manufacturing requires large Clean & Dry rooms, with precise environmental control along with dedicated mini environments as cell production lines. The key to reach the necessary dew point for high- volume production is in using efficient dehumidification technology designed specifically to create these specialist Clean & Dry room controlled environments.

Careful consideration of airflow patterns around the

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Does the use of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) remove barriers to Lean Construction and BIM adoption?

by Fergus Nugent, Associate Director of Project Management

Issues surrounding the lack of productivity in the construction industry are well documented. The benefits of lean construction (LC) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) are extensively researched, yet the widespread adoption of both concepts has been slow across the construction industry. After working on several Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) projects, the author decided to research the use of BIM, LC and IPD using a mixture of literature review and interviews with industry experts. This article is a summary of the research project including the key findings. This study began by explaining the issues with productivity in the construction industry. By conducting a detailed literature review, the author then discussed the benefits of LC and BIM adoption followed by highlighting the synergies between both initiatives as shown in the research of Sacks, Dave and Eastman, among other renowned subject matter experts. The literature review revealed that IPD projects displayed elevated levels of success through the

implementation of LC and BIM while also revealing that the uptake of LC and BIM across Ireland and the UK is still low. Objectives: 1. To analyse where there are synergies between LC and BIM. 2. To provide an extensive review of academic sources to demonstrate the improved efficiencies observed by construction companies using LC, BIM, or both. 3. To review the published literature for any challenges or barriers to the widespread implementation of LC and BIM in Ireland and the UK. 4. To engage with key individuals working on two projects utilising IPD to understand if those projects have overcome the barriers identified in objective 3. 5: To produce a decisive conclusion by combining both secondary and primary research sources.

Key Findings The results highlighted that both projects were extraordinarily challenging, but that IPD has been a resounding success. One project director stated that Project A was the best-managed project they had seen. Even with success, there were still challenges on both projects: schedule, unlearning old habits, upskilling project teams, and establishing trust, were all identified by multiple stakeholders. Reasons for the successes highlighted are: planning and shared resources, healthy profit margins and an overall sense of teamwork and collaboration that was higher than most traditionally managed projects. It is also interesting to note that Project A showed a higher level of LC implementation, while Project B displayed a higher level of BIM implementation. Segmented Industry It is no coincidence that all partners involved in the IPD on both projects had previous established relationships. For IPD to become more popular, companies need to build relationships and experience positive results, not just with clients but with other organisations. Key relationships with other companies will become crucial for organisations to be selected as IPD partners. Silo Mentalities Both projects had a CDE (Common Data Environment) in place to streamline the flow of information, however on both projects, the leadership team also met regularly to communicate; this was highlighted as the critical factor in eliminating traditional silo mentalities. Project B also had a communication charter which explained when, and how to communicate. This established a culture of respect which is crucial to effective teamwork and collaboration.

top construction talent. Not every project will have this advantage. It is important to note that not all essential personnel were experienced in LC and BIM. It is not always possible to find suitable personnel within the required time. These companies selected experienced team members and provided all necessary technical training. Recommendations The public sector should take the lessons learned from these projects and implement IPD as a standard approach for construction projects in Ireland and the UK. This would require commitment from the industry to deliver a standard IPD framework with suggested contracts and best practice guidelines. If this became the norm in the public sector, the private sector would be more likely to widely adopt IPD. LC and BIM organisations should collaborate to promote the improved results from IPD. Companies who are interested in improving productivity should contact government agencies or LC and BIM organisations for funding, which is available through multiple sources in Ireland and the UK. These organisations could use this research as a framework to design LC and BIM training courses. A recommendation for future research would be the expansion of the developed methodology across a larger sample size. Another suggestion would be to generate a detailed case study on each project to provide an insight into the challenges and successes of each project and provide a benchmark for other organisations to follow in the future.

Skills Shortage & Education The prestige of both projects, the reputation of the clients and the scale of the projects combined to attract

meet stefan Hopwood Senior project manager

Hi, I’m Stefan Hopwood. I’m one of Ardmac’s Senior Project managers. I work in the exciting and fast-paced emerging Battery Facility sector. A hard work ethic has always been something I could rely on from a very young age, my dad working away during the week and Mum switching between day and night shifts at the Hospital while raising 3 children. My siblings and I knew nothing other than to ‘turn up’, ‘put a shift in’ and ‘do your best’. I was unexpectedly thrown into the real world at the age of 15 after finishing school earlier than most; no GCSE’s, no qualifications and not a whole bunch of hope from my peers…. one thing I did have in abundance though, was that hard work ethic.

In 2008, I started fresh on the other side of the world, Australia. It was challenging during the financial crash to land a construction role. I had to prove myself all over again. Hard work and my can-do attitude had me promoted to Assistant Site Foremen before long, supervising a group of carpenters and leading the day-to-day work activities across a housing development. After a few years in a Site Supervisor position, my global search for the next big challenge took me to the Middle East. At the age of 22, I moved to Dubai as a Construction Manager for arguably the biggest formwork specialist in the world, Doka. ‘Sink or swim’, that’s definitely how it felt after arriving on day 1 in the middle of a remote desert, managing over 150 non-English speaking operatives on a 500m bridge reaching over a wadi from mountain to mountain for the local military – this really was out of my comfort zone, but when I look back on it, it really helped me to appreciate thorough planning, looking ahead, anticipating the unexpected, and always having a plan B up my sleeve. Later in my career, I joined ISG, where I was exposed to some memorable projects for clients such as Microsoft, Google, Huawei, the biggest global event in ‘Expo 2020’, Sorbonne Uni artificial intelligence centres and many more. My construction experience and stakeholder management meant I developed into a more detail-orientated results- and client-focused

Early career

As soon as I was eligible to enroll at the local construction college at the age of 16, I chose a national vocation in carpentry and joinery, something I quickly fell for after feeling a great sense of pride in the work I was producing. Nearly 20 years on and I will never get bored of the feeling when you enter a finished space and think Wow!. After completing a 2-year apprenticeship course with distinction, I joined a small to medium size construction company, working nationally from Beverley to Cardiff, Reading to Manchester, Poole to Nottingham.

manager, appreciating the need to continuously see through the eyes of the client by becoming part of their team, and being along on their journey. After a truly successful stint with ISG and 10 whirlwind, amazing years, in the Middle East, my wife and I made the decision to move back to the UK. We were moving onto the next chapter of our lives. I am delighted to now be part of the Ardmac team and to be working in such an exciting and fast-paced emerging sector. Ardmac provide ongoing training and professional development programmes meaning we are constantly encouraged to think and create new innovative ideas, from product selection, design compliance, operational speed and all-round LEAN techniques, to meeting project needs and supporting our clients with the most collaborative approach. The Battery industry has been an eye-opener over the last few years, we are keeping our ear to the ground and finger on the pulse, establishing new relationships, and developing as a group to create the next generation of Battery facility technical gurus. I’ll play my part the way I know best… with a hard work ethic.

Sustainable Project Delivery

We are proud of our Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) programme - Sky Blue. When we succeed, our staff, community and society succeed also. By encouraging well-being, giving back to our community and working in sustainable ways, we not only improve people’s lives, we also improve our business. Ardmac recognises the importance of environmental matters and is committed to promoting sustainability. We ensure that environmental protection is part of our daily operations and business decisions. We aim to follow and promote good sustainability practices and work consistently to reduce the environmental impacts of all our business activities. Ardmac are fully committed to ethically and responsibly managing all aspects of our operations daily.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

ISO 50001 Energy Management certification achieved. Eco Driver training of all LGV fleet operators completed. Initial assessment by CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) - June 2023. ECO Driver training of all LGV operators completed. Carbon offsets for 690 tonnes purchased from COTAP. EcoVadis Sustainability – silver rating [57% - 73rd percentile]

Mature ISO 14001 Environmental Management System in place. Purchasing and procurement vetting environmental and sustainability credentials of supply chain. Transitioned all offices to 100% renewable energy suppliers. Waste generated is closely monitored and 99.5% diversion from landfill is being achieved.

Total emissions excl. materials

+36%

EMISSIONS PER MILLION

ARDMAC TURNOVER

VERSUS

€ million turnover

+46%

#ArdmacEvents EXCELLENCE IN DRY ROOM DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS FORUM Ardmac’s Enda Murphy - Managing Director of Cleanrooms & Pre-Construction, presented at the Excellence in Dry Room Design, Construction, Engineering and Operations Forum in Budapest on the 1st of June. Enda’s presentation centred around ‘Dry Cleanroom Project Management & Meeting Client Requirements During Construction - Creativity and Innovative Thinking’. Enda also covered lean construction principles, problem-solving on the job in the construction phase. Ardmac’s Fergus Nugent; Associate Director of Project Management in Construction, hosted a panel discussion on ‘How We Reduce the Costs of Construction, Equipment Maintenance and Energy Consumption without Compromising the Quality of Operations’.

#ArdmacEvents Battery Tech Expo: The UK’s largest event for the battery industry

Ardmac’s Senior Project Manager, Stefan Hopwood, attended the Battery Tech Expo in Silverstone last June.

This is the UK’s largest event dedicated to the battery sector. It hosted 32 of the UK’s leading speakers and 110 exhibitors, highlighting modern technologies and knowledge.

Continuing professional development courses

Ardmac are now CPD accredited and offering courses in the following areas:

• ‘Off-Site Modular Construction’ delivered by George Walker, Business Development Director. • ‘Agile Cleanroom Suites with Flexibility Built In’ delivered by Dermot McKenna, Associate Director Business Development. • ‘Early Contractor Involvement for Lean Project Outcomes’ delivered by Peter Lonergan, Associate Director Pre-Construction in Business Development. CPD is a great way to stay up to date with industry advancements and develop your technical expertise. You can sign up for our courses today to learn more about interesting and relevant market trends from Ardmac’s industry experts.

See more here: https://www.ardmac.com/cpd-training/

We would like to invite you and your team to participate in Ardmac’s Cycle for Hope. On September 10th, we will be hosting a charity cycle to raise funds for Pieta House. The sponsorship packs are an excellent opportunity for you to align your own CSR strategy and promote some healthy competition between your team. Your team can choose to participate in our cycling event in Swords or opt to cycle from where you are based. There are four distances to choose from - 100k, 65k, 30k or a 10k walking route. To register for your sponsorship package, simply reply to this email indicating which of the sponsorship packs you wish to purchase. Gold €2000 : Enter up to 20 cyclists, and you will be recognised on our website as a corporate supporter, receive shout outs across our social media platforms, promotional packs for your company to use on social media, and a professional photo of your team on the day, as well as Cycle for Hope goodies and refreshments. Silver €1500 : Enter up to 10 cyclists, and you will be recognised on our website as a corporate supporter, receive promotional packs for your company to use on social media, and a professional photo of your team on the day, as well as Cycle for Hope goodies and refreshments. Pieta House is reliant on fundraising for the lifesaving services they provide. 80% of their income comes from fundraising events like this cycle. When you purchase your ticket, you will be sent an email with your fundraising link. Ardmac will match ALL donations made. If you cannot walk or cycle with us this year but would still like to donate, you can do so through the Cycle for Hope page on the Ardmac website.

Ardmac Dublin Swords Business Campus, Swords, Co. Dublin, K67 D8H0, Ireland. E: info@ardmac.com T: +353 (0) 1 894 8800

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