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New production base combines large-scale battery storage manufacturing with digital process control and AI-supported quality inspection.
LONGi has opened a new intelligent manufacturing facility for energy storage systems in Suzhou, China. The facility will manufacture, test, and prepare commercial and industrial (C&I) and utility-scale battery energy storage systems for international markets, including Europe.
The new production base expands LONGi's capacity to meet growing demand for battery storage. Digital manufacturing systems and AI-supported quality inspection aim to improve manufacturing consistency. The facility also supports LONGi's strategy to integrate solar generation and battery storage through its LONGi ONE portfolio.
Expanded production capacity supports international energy storage projects
The Suzhou facility brings together production lines for utility-scale battery storage, C&I systems and off-grid and microgrid applications. LONGi plans to reach an annual manufacturing capacity of 31 GWh for utility-scale storage systems by the end of October 2026, with a further expansion to 50 GWh scheduled for the first half of 2027.
The C&I production line is planned to reach an annual output capacity of more than 10,000 units by the end of October 2026. A separate production line will serve off-grid and microgrid applications.
The expansion strengthens LONGi's ability to supply different energy storage applications through a common manufacturing infrastructure. For European customers, production capacity is particularly relevant when assessing a supplier's ability to support larger project portfolios and future deployments.
Digital manufacturing connects production data with quality control
A central element of the Suzhou facility is an integrated digital manufacturing management system. LONGi has been upgrading its Manufacturing Execution System (MES) between September and November 2026. The planned architecture combines MES with business intelligence and artificial intelligence in a manufacturing operations management platform. The platform will connect production management with enterprise resource planning, warehouse management, and robotics control systems. This provides continuous visibility into manufacturing operations. The platform can automatically issue production orders and trace materials throughout the manufacturing process. The system will also enable real-time monitoring of equipment performance.
A central control system monitors all manufacturing operations, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) handle material transport in the factory. In addition, a digital warehouse management system coordinates material flows.
The same infrastructure will support digital quality management. LONGi expects closed-loop management of quality issues to reduce resolution time by more than 50%.
For battery energy storage manufacturing, these processes matter because consistent prodution depends on spotting deviations, tracing affected materials, and correcting problems before products leave the factory.
AI-supported inspection aims to improve manufacturing consistency
LONGi has identified three areas where digital technologies and artificial intelligence are expected to improve manufacturing performance at its Suzhou facility
1. Automated quality inspection
AI-supported full inspection is intended to replace manual sampling in the relevant inspection processes. LONGi targets a five- to tenfold increase in inspection efficiency and a defect escape rate below 0.1%.
2. Digital work instructions
Electronic standard operating procedures (SOPs) will help production employees execute defined manufacturing steps. The target is an instruction execution accuracy above 99%, alongside a 50% reduction in the training period for new employees.
3. Predictive equipment maintenance
An AI-supported knowledge base, referred to as the "Fault Brain," will help maintenance teams identify equipment faults and determine corrective actions. LONGi expects the system to reduce troubleshooting time by more than 60% and fault-related downtime losses by 75%. LONGi also plans to introduce augmented reality glasses for on-site work guidance and AI-supported early warnings for potential quality issues.
Lean manufacturing stays central to process stability
At its Suzhou facility, LONGi uses Kaizen, a Japanese approach to continuous improvement, to optimize production processes. The company also applies the Japanese 5S workplace management method, which establishes consistent standards for organization, cleanliness, and operational discipline. These measures are meant to reduce process inefficiencies as well as sustain stable production as manufacturing capacity increases.
The digital manufacturing infrastructure will make differences in equipment performance and production processes more visible. This information can support corrective action and help production teams evaluate whether improvements deliver the expected results.
The combination of standardized processes and digital monitoring is particularly relevant as LONGi expands manufacturing across multiple battery storage product lines.
Smart manufacturing supports LONGi's solar-storage integration strategy
The Suzhou facility also supports LONGi ONE, the company's integrated solar and energy storage offering. Its manufacturing capabilities strengthen LONGi's ability to supply C&I and utility-scale storage systems to international markets, including Europe.
As energy storage becomes an established part of energy infrastructure, manufacturers face growing expectations for production consistency and reliable project delivery. The Suzhou facility gives LONGi a stronger manufacturing base to address these requirements as its international energy storage business develops.
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