Ceramic Fuel Cells announced this morning that it is teaming up with contract electronics manufacturer Jabil Circuit so that it can increase production of its Gennex fuel cell module and BlueGen electricity generation product.
The deal, so far a manufacturing services ‘memorandum of understanding’, will see the two companies work together to increase Ceramic’s manufacturing volumes and reduce unit costs.
Jabil is a global electronic manufacturing service provider that operates 55 factories in 22 countries. Its global cleantech business unit makes a range of energy products that include solar panels, smartgrid meters and wind turbines.
Jabil’s manufacturing services to Ceramic are expected to grow over time, matching the fuel cell firm’s increasing sales volumes.
The first phase of the cooperation will be for Ceramic to source selected components from Jabil’s manufacturing operations. This phase is expected to begin early next year.
Ceramic already operates a volume manufacturing plant in Germany, where it makes fuel cell stacks and assembles the Gennex and BlueGen products.
“Over the past year our order book has grown from 50 units to 500 units and we need to plan ahead for much larger volumes in the coming years,” said Brendan Dow, Ceramic’s managing director. “Working with an expert contract manufacturer will help us to increase our volumes and reduce our unit costs much faster than trying to do it all ourselves."