SFC Energy AG, a provider of H₂ and methanol fuel cells for stationary, portable and mobile hybrid power solutions, reaches another important milestone in its international expansion with the opening of its new production facility in Cluj, Romania. The opening is closely linked to the current series of investments in the expansion of global production capacities to meet the growing demand for SFC's solutions.

The relationship between SFC and EU member Romania has intensified significantly in recent years and has been in place for over a decade. In October 2011, as part of its strategic focus on becoming a system provider, SFC Energy acquired the Dutch PBF Group B.V., which had been active in Romania since 2009. At that time, the site employed around 20 people. Due to the increasing demand for SFC's solutions in recent years, the workforce has been expanded to around 115 employees. Consequently, around 30% of SFC's total global workforce of 421 employees as of the end of the first half of 2024 will be based in Romania, which underlines the key importance of the site for the Group as a whole.

The grand opening of the newly constructed building, in the immediate vicinity of the existing site, has paved the way for the next stage of SFC Energy's planned growth.

The new production facility was specifically planned and equipped by SFC to meet its own requirements and needs, creating optimal conditions for employees and the production of methanol and H₂ fuel cells as well as power management solutions. The modern and highly clean production environment includes full air conditioning in sensitive manufacturing areas, aimed at further ensuring compliance with the high-quality standards that SFC customers have always valued.

The fully equipped and already occupied building covers more than 4,600 square meters, offering more than double the space compared to the previous site. A sustainable energy supply is secured through a photovoltaic system. In addition to production, functional procurement, quality assurance, customer service, as well as human resources and administration, are centralized at the new location. The existing R&D activities are being expanded as part of the EU-funded H₂ initiative in Cluj, and the decade-long successful collaboration with the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca is being intensified. The production of solutions in the Clean Power Management segment, including coils, coil assemblies, linear drives, is currently being ramped up. This also applies to solutions in the Clean Energy segment, particularly for the core component, the methanol or H₂ fuel cell. The aim is to achieve a production capacity of 3,000 fuel cells by the end of the year. A gradual expansion to up to 30,000 fuel cells annually is planned by the end of 2028.

Dr Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Energy AG said, “The expansion of our production capacities is an important step on our growth path and a concrete contribution to decarbonization. Together with the already completed doubling of our MEA capacity in Swindon (UK) and the successive expansion of our fuel cell capacity here in Cluj, we are able to elevate our pace and performance for our customers to a new level. As the Management Board team, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all internal and external project participants who contributed to the successful and timely achievement of this milestone.”