Mr Krausse, how has this exceptional year of the corona crisis gone for Bluesky so far?
Thomas Krausse: We are very happy with our development in the first half of the year. The demand for our salt water battery is unbroken. What's more: At the end of May, orders amounted to 4.2 million euros, compared with 1.8 million euros in the same period last year. The order backlog has more than doubled. However, corona has had an impact on our own supply chain. This is why current developments encourage us to focus on short delivery routes - and to make ourselves independent of Chinese suppliers. This shortens our delivery times by eight weeks, as the time-consuming ship transport from Asia to Europe is no longer necessary.
How do you explain this positive development?
The generally growing market helps us of course. In addition, the saltwater battery, which seemed exotic a few years ago, has become fully established. For us, this is a clear signal that our environmentally friendly and safe electricity storage products are well received by our customers - and word is getting around more and more. The Greenrock storage systems are now much better known.
Why did you choose Frankenburg in Upper Austria as your production location?
Frankenburg was chosen in June after evaluating various criteria such as infrastructure, logistics, transport connections, employee availability, taxes and regional subsidies. An important reason for us: The new location has 3,200 square metres and is located directly in the next town to our current company headquarters. This allows us to ensure that our manufacturing know-how is implemented by the shortest possible route. With a central location for the entire company, we have the best conditions for the cooperation of the individual departments and thus strengthen the team spirit.
How many staff do you have or are you planning to hire?
At present there are 45 staff members at all locations and we are planning to hire another 15 for the new production. In the long term, further jobs will be added.
When will your new production start?
We will start manufacturing the first battery cells made in Austria in September 2020. Step by step we will increase the number of units from 10,000 to 30,000 battery stacks per year. We hope to reach full output in the first quarter of 2021.
Do you now manufacture everything yourself or which components do you still buy in from suppliers?
The core processes are all carried out in-house. These essentially include electrode production, battery cell production and electrolyte production. We only buy in some components, such as the plastic housing. However, the highest priority is independence, i.e. making core processes in-house in a redundant machine park. For components from suppliers we rely on double sourcing strategies. We do not want to be dependent on a single supplier.
Can you get a saltwater battery from another supplier in Europe?
In Europe, we do not know of any competitors offering storage technology similar to ours.
The interview was conducted by Niels H. Petersen.
Click here for Part 2, where Mr Krausse gives us an outlook on what the future holds for Bluesky Energy. (mfo)
