CUSTOMCELLS is ‘powered by people’, says Dr. Dirk Abendroth (CEO)

Customcells brings premium battery cells to the road, water, and air. As one of the leading companies in the development and series production of special lithium-ion battery cells, the German innovators are setting the pace for a comprehensive technological transformation.

Customcells employs more than 150 highly qualified employees and operates development and production sites in Itzehoe and Tübingen. As an independent premium brand, Customcells stands for customized solutions in a wide range of industries and continuously pushes the boundaries of what is technically possible through digital technologies. The company supports its customers along the entire value chain – from the initial idea, through prototyping and series production, to project planning and commissioning of customers’ own gigafactories.

Dr. Dirk Abendroth, CEO of the CUSTOMCELLS Group, spoke exclusively to CIO Bulletin about how his company brings premium lithium-ion battery cells to the road, water, and air.

Interview Highlights

Q. How do you go about fostering innovation in your organization?

Innovation is an integral part of our company’s history and deeply rooted in our DNA. At CUSTOMCELLS, we have always been driven by the question: How can we use lithium-ion technology to make tomorrow’s world more sustainable, resilient, and powerful? And how can we shape lithium-ion technology to fit the needs of our customers? With our technological expertise, industry knowledge, and highly motivated people, we continually push the boundaries of what is possible. We are innovators, bridging the gap between prototyping and production, and setting the standards for the future use of battery cell technology. At the same time, we also see ourselves as an enabler of innovation. Our unique battery cells pave the way for new applications in various industrial sectors. We press diamonds while others make costume jewelry.

Q. What capabilities should leaders have to be more innovative, according to you?

Although short-term goals are crucial for daily management, they should always be integrated into a wider strategy, which may have gaps. But it’s these gaps that create the space for innovation. Leaders who offer their people the chance to fill these gaps can capitalize on opportunities for innovation to make the company thrive and grow. The key to success in this context is to cultivate a culture that embraces lifelong learning and accepts mistakes as part of the process. It is for this very reason that we at CUSTOMCELLS see ourselves as “powered by people’’.

“We are innovators, bridging the gap between prototyping and production and setting the standards for the future use of battery cell technology.”

Q. How do you go about business model innovation?

We are very much in tune with our customers’ needs. We pay close attention to market developments. We continuously develop our business model based on these insights. While we initially focused on developing and manufacturing prototypes, we have since expanded our capabilities. Today, we are building up series production of battery cells for the aviation sector. In other words, our business model is growing in line with the market opportunities we have in mind.          

Q. How do you organize for game-changing disruption?

Disrupting is not something we set out to achieve. It is the result of our innovative power. We have successfully taken our technology to the streets in the past. Now we are in the process of fundamentally changing the aviation industry, among other things. To do this, we rely on partnerships to bring these technologies to market. A good example is our joint venture with Porsche. Another is our collaboration with Lilium. Projects such as TwinTrace, in which we are testing the potential of digital twins for production optimization together with research partners, are also worthy of mention here.

Q. What is CUSTOMCELL’s approach to innovation?

Our approach to innovation is based on three pillars: technology, sustainability, and people—a unique premium approach. We are continuously advancing lithium-ion technology and the digitalization of development and production processes. To link cells and digitalization even more closely in the future, we have set up a dedicated digital unit to leverage innovation potential. The issue of sustainability is so important to us because: Batteries can only make a real difference in the transformation of the economy and society if they are designed to be as sustainable as possible. On the one hand, this touches on the issue of raw materials, but on the other hand, it also touches on issues of recycling. And, as previously stated, CUSTOMCELLS is “powered by people.” It is their ideas and creativity that make us succeed.

Talk about your industry experience and learnings.

I have many years of experience in the automotive industry, including as head of Powertrain BMW i. Back then - more than 15 years ago - my team and I did some real pioneering work; we industrialized an electric car in Germany and made it ready for series production. This included bringing the batteries, but also other components such as the inverter, to a format suitable for assembly and mass production. And that’s an important lesson I took away from that time that has stayed with me in my current role as CEO of Customcells; many problems only become apparent when solutions are actively pursued. But that’s exactly what gives innovative thinking a chance to work.

Q. What does the company plan for the future?

We have set ourselves the goal of becoming a global player in the industry. The highest performance, with exceptional energy and power density, should be the hallmark of our cells. We see great potential for our technology, especially in aviation. We are currently expanding our existing sites. We are also looking for additional sites, including in the United States. At the same time, we’re pushing ahead with digitalization. In the future, the name CUSTOMCELLS will be associated with high performance battery cells of the highest quality.

The Visionary Leader Upfront

Dr. Dirk Abendroth is the Chief Executive Officer of the CUSTOMCELLS Group. With a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Dirk started his career at BMW, where he worked for twelve years in various positions. Among others, he was head of “Powertrain BMW i.” In 2016, Dirk Abendroth joined the start-up Byton as Executive Vice President, where he was responsible for powertrain and autonomous driving. In January 2019, Dirk Abendroth was appointed CTO Automotive at Continental  AG. In July 2021, he joined serial entrepreneur Lukasz Gadowski’s international technology holding company Team Global as CTO.

Dr. Abendroth personally holds twelve international patents in the fields of data and digitalization, system control, powertrains, and autonomous driving, with more than ten in the application process.

“The key to success in this context is to cultivate a culture that embraces lifelong learning and accepts mistakes as part of the process. It is for this very reason that we at CUSTOMCELLS see ourselves as being ‘powered by people’.”