Experienced Samsung executive joins Morrow Batteries as EVP Manufacturing

Morrow Batteries hires Dr. Andreas Maier as Executive Vice President for Manufacturing. He will lead the development and construction of Morrow’s planned Giga-factory in Southern Norway.

“I am excited to join Morrow, as I share the vision of the founders to develop and manufacture the most sustainable batteries in the world. It is a great and challenging opportunity for me to be able to build-up a Giga-factory from scratch, which gives us opportunities of new thinking. Morrow’s focus on sustainable battery production plus their technology roadmap is both ambitious and reachable, and their timing is perfect as the European market is growing rapidly”, says Dr. Andreas Maier.

Dr. Maier has solid experience with battery manufacturing from Samsung SDI, one of the few Tier 1 battery suppliers in the world. As VP of Quality, Dr. Maier has overseen the development of Samsung’s cell production in Korea, China and Hungary, ensuring Tier 1-qualification as a supplier to the automotive industry worldwide. Dr. Maier holds an MBA from IMD in Switzerland and a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Sunderland in UK. As a consultant for McKinsey he has also developed market strategies for leading automotive OEMs in China and Korea, and managed the build-up of a large scale production facility while with Hyundai Mobis in Korea.

Dr. Maier is currently living in Seoul, South Korea, and will move to Norway to assume his position with Morrow on May 1st, 2021.

In front of the green transition“We are pleased to have Dr. Maier on board. As we move forward to develop a pioneering battery infrastructure, Dr. Maier’s battery manufacturing and quality experience will be an important contribution to our management team. The technology is developing fast, and with Dr. Maier on the team, we have secured expertise and a solid know-how when it comes to developing and manufacturing high-quality battery cells for EV-cars, says Terje Andersen, CEO of Morrow Batteries.

In southern Norway, Morrow is building up world-class battery cell capabilities. Morrow Batteries will start the construction of the first facilities, the Morrow Industrialization Centre; the Battery Innovation Lab and the Pilot Factory (600MWh), later this year. The building of the Giga-factory (42GWh) will begin in 2022.

Dr. Maier believes Morrow Batteries will be an attractive partner to the automotive industry.

“Norway has access to a large pool of renewable energy from which CO2 neutral batteries can be produced, together with a clear commitment from both local government and the established process industry. The sustainability of batteries ‘Made in Norway’ will be a decisive factor when automotive companies select their partners in the future”, says Dr. Maier, and adds:

“The way Morrow Batteries is developing an entire eco-system around the battery value chain is unique. The Morrow Industrialization Centre represents a world leading infrastructure when it comes to research and scaling battery technology. It forms a solid foundation to manufacture world class battery cells at the Giga-factory subsequently. I am excited about the task ahead and look forward to taking the Giga-factory from planning to full production”, says Dr. Maier.