Dec 13 2012
Navitas Systems LLC, a leading provider of energy-enabled system solutions and energy storage products for commercial, industrial and government agency customers, today announced that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the “Court”) has approved the sale of A123 Systems’ Ann Arbor, Mich.-based government business, including all U.S. military contracts, for $2.3 million to Navitas.
A123 is a developer and manufacturer of advanced Nanophosphate® lithium iron phosphate batteries and systems for the transportation, electric grid, commercial and government markets.
Alan ElShafei, Chairman and Founder of Navitas Systems, said “In our due diligence of A123’s government business leading up to last week’s auction, we received detailed briefings on the impressive depth and breadth of A123’s proprietary Nanophosphate lithium ion battery chemistry and other advanced technologies being developed for critical government and military applications. Based on this group’s robust and vital technology roadmap, we’re absolutely committed to invest in the people and infrastructure needed to continue delivering outstanding U.S.-designed battery solutions to military and government customers.”
The Navitas management team has a successful track record in past ventures due in part to its solid capital structure and disciplined approach to profitability, and also its continued investment in both people and IP. The Navitas team intends to continue to invest in the Ann Arbor R&D facility to enhance its focus on research and development of advanced chemistry batteries and low-volume cell manufacturing. The closing on this transaction is expected in early 2013.
Nancie ElShafei, CEO and owner of Navitas Systems, said “The suite of advanced battery technologies coming soon to military and government agencies is being developed by an even more impressive group of world-class scientists and engineers. We’re determined to maintain and grow this organization as a strategic asset in maintaining U.S. competitiveness”.
"The military demand for secure, small and light-weight unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance systems is surging. Whether airborne, land-based, seaborne or submersible, such systems will turn to safe, efficient batteries for electric power or propulsion”, said USAF Lt. General (Ret.) Mark Shackelford. “Navitas Systems has the innovative expertise to bring advanced chemistry solutions to lithium ion energy storage and power management systems, and is well-postured to become a preferred supplier for this rapidly expanding market."
Navitas views the dual locations of both Ann Arbor, Mich. and Woodridge, Ill. to be a unique advantage in developing specialized applications for the government and military given the need to keep pushing the boundaries in terms of energy stored per unit weight and size. Thomas Golab, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Navitas Systems, said “We purposefully sited our headquarters just outside the expansive campus of the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratories. Over the years, our team has developed a good working relationship with Argonne’s advanced battery personnel, and we see this as an additive opportunity for both organizations. With the recent announcement by the DOE to locate the Energy Hub at Argonne--combined with the acquisition of A123’s advanced R&D facilities in Ann Arbor—we find ourselves literally and ideally positioned to maintain ,attract, and interact with the scientific talent needed to compete on a world stage”.
“I was delighted to learn that Navitas Systems will acquire A123’s government business, which indicates that Navitas permitted the highest possible value to be paid for the balance of A123 Systems’ assets and the largest possible new investment to be made in U.S. battery technology. That is good news for the U.S. advanced battery industry,” said James Greenberger, Executive Director for the National Alliance for Advanced Technology Batteries (NAATBatt), the trade association for the U.S. advanced battery industry. “I have known Alan ElShafei and his team at Navitas (formerly MicroSun IESS) for many years. Alan has been a quiet success in the industry during a time when others were dominating the news. I’m sure that we will be hearing a lot more about Navitas Systems in the future, and all of us at NAATBatt wish them great success.”