DIAvent: More variants, more different application, more customers, more production sites / New manufacturing sites in Berlin (D) and Shelbyville (USA) / Plant concept to be planned for India
Even if the sales figures do currently not meet the high expectations: Electromobility is on the rise worldwide. Innovative components such as the DIAvent pressure equalization valve developed by Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) are in demand. DIAvent started its triumphal march from Reichelsheim just a few years ago. “We have long since moved beyond the status of hope. DIAvent has developed from a beacon of hope to a sales driver,” says Daniel Uhl, Head of Product Management, Lead Center Diaphragms & Boots.
One key reason for this is the growing DIAvent product family. Two “family members” – the “dual function” variants Classic and HighFlow – combine pressure equalization in normal operation with emergency degassing during the thermal runaway of a cell in a single component on the housing of lithium-ion batteries. Two other DIAvent derivatives – known as “breathers” – are limited to bi-directional pressure equalization, or “breathing”, during normal operation: DIAvent light being the best-known of these, while the latest development is DIAvent Oil.
Oil und Mini
The suffixes Oil and Mini stand for the extended DIAvent range of applications. The Oil version is suitable as a breather for applications outside the battery where a certain degree of oil resistance is required, for example in electric motors, electric axles and gearboxes. In contrast, the new DIAvent Mini – unlike its four “siblings” – is not aimed at automotive applications. Instead, the Mini offers a “dual function” for smaller batteries, such as those used in electrically powered two-wheelers, electric boats, rickshaws, forklift trucks, pallet trucks, ride-on lawn mowers and golf carts
The list of DIAvent customers is long and growing, with car manufacturers spread across three continents.
With the derivatives DIAvent Light and DIAvent Oil, large suppliers, also known as Tier 1 suppliers, are now joining the circle of customers.
First plant in the USA
The growing variety of products and customer demand goes hand in hand with the globalization of production. DIAvent has its roots at FST’s Reichelsheim site in Germany. All DIAvent derivatives are produced here on four modern, highly automated production lines and are one hundred percent automatically controlled. The product and process development team is also based in Reichelsheim. Due to a lack of space there, a production facility for DIAvent HighFlow was launched at FST in Berlin in spring 2024.
The first production line for DIAvent HighFlow in North America will go into operation in spring at the Shelbyville site in order to be able to meet demand in the USA close to the customer – the keyword here is “local for local”. The second line, which will also be able to produce the Classic version, will follow in summer. But that’s not yet it: The Reichelsheim team is already planning a plant concept for India in order to expand the global production network, the “production footprint”.
Copy & paste
This global diversification of production always follows a “tried and tested” pattern. The systems are the same around the globe, like clones. “We successfully industrialized the highly automated production technology in Reichelsheim years ago. Now we are simply copying it and adding another one elsewhere – we copy and paste,” says Uhl, explaining the technological standardization.
DIAvent specialists from Reichelsheim will cooperate with colleagues from the target locations. Another speciality: The production lines are first set up and tested in Reichelsheim to ensure smooth assembly and commissioning. Only when everything is working properly will they be dismantled, transported to their destination and finally installed there. Previous project managers were Daniel Knapp (Reichelsheim), Alexander Schulz (Berlin) and Jacob Stewart (Shelbyville).
