Unique Expertise
Thanks to its unique expertise in the design, installation, maintenance and operation of multi-technical facilities, as well as its strong specific expertise in the European Gigafactory market, Equans is today the only design-build company capable of handling all the technical work packages of a mega plant or Gigafactory.
For more than twenty-five years, Equans France has been designing and building clean rooms and anhydrous rooms, characterised by their great complexity and the high level of technical mastery they require.
Equans works with clients as diverse as Asian companies looking to establish themselves in Europe, start-ups attracted by the innovation associated with this growing market, and long-established niche battery manufacturers expanding their activities into the electric vehicle market.
This dynamic course is contributing to the trend for reindustrialisation and environmental transition. The company is already helping manufacturers to design and build battery factory projects that serve three ambitions: industrial, energy and digital.
At the heart of anhydrous clean rooms
Equans designs and makes anhydrous clean rooms in compliance with the highest standards to guarantee a secure, high-performance environment for battery production. They are protected by a hermetically-sealed enclosure, constantly monitored and have a specific air-filtration system. Humidity levels are thus kept under control by evenly sweeping the air throughout the room and managing excess pressure in the surrounding rooms.
“ We are creating and defining systems that are more effective, more autonomous, more robust and more efficient from an energy-consumption point of view. Our expertise is also illustrated by our ability to take on very large-scale projects with extremely tight deadlines. ”
Managing and recycling NMP
N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is used as an organic solvent in the production of lithium-ion battery cathodes. This volatile organic compound should not be thrown out into the environment. Equans has developed an innovative technology to treat the air, collect the NMP, reinject the purified air into the oven and capture any excess heat to fuel, for example, the regeneration systems of the dehumidification process of the dry rooms. This NMP recycling system is also subject of a PCT patent, filed by Equans.
Historic expertise
Equans' expertise in fire safety is based on a complete range of services, from the analysis carried out by the design offices for each site, to the construction and maintenance of an installation consisting of a series of fire detection and automatic extinguishing systems. These systems include extinguishing gases (inert or inhibitor gases) to decrease the oxygen content and modify the chemical reaction of combustion; automatic smoke, heat, flame and particle counter detectors, as well as thermographic cameras to identify the heat source.
Equans is deploying concrete solutions to meet the challenges of energy efficiency: energy recuperation wherever possible, the most on-point energy choices, high-performance heat pumps, LED lighting, renewable energy, centralised and combined energy production etc.
Our experts’ stories
Feedback on the AESC project
Testimony of Alexandre Frati, AESC deputy construction manager
“ The Gigafactory projects are opening new career paths, so we’re interested in responsible professionals who would like to embark on an adventure that is just beginning. ”
In search of a unique adventure? Join us!
A message for anyone interested in the idea of contributing to a new era as it takes shape: two years of experience at a Gigafactory is the equivalent of five to six years of experience in another industry!
A real career accelerator, at the heart of an industry to be discovered and explored, for a variety of roles: research engineers, project and planning managers, contract management, site supervisors, purchasing, cost control and quality managers…
