UniverCell Opens New Production Facility in Kiel-Moorsee

As production scales up, UniverCell plans to invest up to €300 million in the site and expects to create more than 200 new jobs across production, research and development, engineering, quality management and administrative roles.

For the UniverCell team, the opening represents more than the launch of a new factory. It marks a significant milestone in a journey that began seven years ago with a vision to establish advanced battery cell manufacturing in northern Germany.

A Milestone Seven Years in the Making

Founded in 2019 by Stefan Permien and Marius Strack, UniverCell was established with a focus on developing and manufacturing battery cells for specialised, high-performance applications. At a time when much of the global battery industry was focused on electric vehicles, the UniverCell founders chose a different path, concentrating on applications where tailored cell designs and close collaboration with customers were essential.

The company's first production site in Flintbek focused on electrode manufacturing, pouch cells and battery development services. Working closely with customers, the team steadily expanded its technical expertise, production capabilities and manufacturing know-how while developing its range of 21700 cylindrical cells. Earlier this year, UniverCell secured €30 million in a funding round led by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF) to support the expansion of production capacity and meet growing demand.

Today, the opening of the Kiel-Moorsee facility marks the next chapter in that growth story. The new site has an annual production capacity of 40 million battery cells, with the potential to expand to more than 150 million cells per year in future development phases. Designed for long-term growth, the facility will support increasing demand for reliable European-made battery cells.

"The opening of this facility is an important moment for our company," said Stefan Permien, co-founder and CEO of UniverCell. "When we founded UniverCell, our goal was to establish advanced battery manufacturing capabilities in Germany and contribute to a stronger European battery ecosystem. Seeing production underway at our new site in Kiel-Moorsee is a reflection of how far our team has come and an exciting starting point for the next phase of growth."

As battery-powered technologies become increasingly important across a wide range of industries, UniverCell aims to play a key role in building resilient European supply chains and advancing battery innovation from Schleswig-Holstein.