Cellcentic, the hydrogen fuel joint venture development company that is half owned by Daimler and Volvo Group has announced a change to its senior management team announcing Kai Woerner as the new chief operating officer and managing director of the multi-billion dollar hydrogen fuel ‘skunk-works’.
The company said that Woerner has a wealth of operational experience with various international management positions at German industrial giant Bosch, over many years, including stints in charge of process and machine development for injection systems at in Germany as well as leading Bosch’s Charleston, South Carolina, US site. He has also been the COO for the EU and USA at AESC, a leading supplier of high-performance batteries for electric vehicles and storage systems.
Cellcentric was created to develop, produce and market hydrogen fuel cell systems for heavy-duty commercial vehicles and off-road applications, with the goal of becoming a leading global manufacturer of fuel cells to bolster Daimler and Volvo’s contribution to climate-neutral and sustainable transportation by 2050.
The company currently employs more than 560 people across sites in KirchheimTeck near Stuttgart in Germany and also at Burnaby in Canada.
Cellcentric has already filed roughly 700 individual intellectual property rights relating totechnological developments since 2001.
Woerner said he is delighted to be able to contribute my experience and ideas to cellcentric as chief operating officer.
“Cellcentric has a compelling structure for the successful industrialisation and market leadership of fuel cells for heavy-duty applications,” Woerner said.
“Both globally active partners of the joint venture Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, are known for their focus on strong innovations and long-term visions for sustainable transport, underpinned by exceptional financial strength and their depth in R&D and process development.”
Nicholas Loughlan, Cellcentric’s chief technical officer and spokesperson for the company’s board, said it was delighted with Woerner joining the company.
“His huge, broad experience in the field of production and production technology will be a fantastic asset for Cellcentric,” said Loughlan.
“We are happy to have him with Cellcentric and in the management board of our company, joining myself and our chief financial officer, Niklas Ekstroem.” he added.
