ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised quality management system that will enable Nexeon to ensure high quality is achieved across all operations of the business, and the achievement of consistent performance and service levels.

Certification to the ISO 9001:2008 standard required Nexeon to demonstrate that it has in place an effective management system that meets the needs of customers and other key stakeholders in the delivery and continual improvement of its products and services. Nexeon produces increasing quantities of its proprietary silicon materials, designed for use in the anodes of lithium ion batteries, where they produce large performance improvements compared with traditional carbon anode equivalents.

“We have invested significant amounts of time in ensuring that we can consistently meet our customers’ requirements”, said Steve Boyes, Commercial and Quality Manager at Nexeon. “Our plans to achieve ISO 14001 are also well advanced.”

The ISO standard achievement is especially important as Nexeon commissions a new manufacturing asset in Oxfordshire for the production of its silicon materials, and moves from batch to continuous operation.

Nexeon is leading the development of silicon materials to replace carbon as the anode of Li-ion batteries. Its use will lead to the production of rechargeable batteries with higher charge density, leading to longer operating times between charges for consumer devices such as laptops and smart phones, and cordless tools with more power on tap.

WACKER Chemie is a €4.9 billion globally active chemicals company with over 17,000 employees, strong research capabilities and extensive production expertise in speciality materials. WACKER will leverage its world class engineering and manufacturing expertise to accelerate Nexeon’s scale-up plans.

“We are very excited about working with WACKER, a company with an enviable track record of bringing innovative products to demanding global markets”, said Dr Scott Brown, CEO of Nexeon. “Their large scale silicon processing expertise will accelerate our scale-up plans significantly.”

“This is a hugely important strategic step for Nexeon”, added Dr Paul Atherton, Chairman of Nexeon. “With a strong supply side partner in WACKER, and good commercial traction with consumer and automotive customers, we are perfectly placed to ensure widespread adoption of our unique silicon anode technology in the next generation of high performance Li-ion batteries.”

Nexeon has already raised £40 million in funding to establish a world class manufacturing facility to scale up the production of its materials to a commercial supply level of around 250 tonnes per annum. The company’s existing pilot plant in Oxfordshire simulates current battery manufacturing processes, and the know-how gained there will enable Nexeon to better support battery manufacturers in rapidly adopting the technology through a “drop in” approach.

Nexeon has won the Rushlight Award for Energy Efficiency 2012-2013.  The RSA-accredited Rushlight Awards highlight innovation and the holistic environmental benefit of technologies for organisations throughout UK and Ireland.

The Energy Efficiency Award recognises technologies or innovation that bring significant efficiency improvements to the use of existing energy sources, whether it be for light, heat or fuel. The judges of the Rushlight Awards said: “Nexeon has effectively addressed the life cycle issues associated with silicon used for anode coatings, thereby enabling silicon’s strong affinity for lithium to be exploited in lithium ion batteries. This enables batteries to have greater energy storage and to be smaller and lighter, thereby improving the performance of electric vehicles significantly.”

Nexeon were judged against rigorous six-point criteria, which included a focus on the importance of the innovation in addressing a specific issue, the holistic impact on the environment and the beneficial effect on society. Judging was performed by an independent panel of recognized experts covering all the clean technology sectors drawn from academia, trade associations, government departments and specialist media. In particular, the judges included individuals associated with DEFRA, the Environment Agency, DECC, Chatham House, WRAP, NESTA, the Carbon Trust, the British Geological Survey, UKERC, the Technology Strategy Board, STFC, WWF International, the Environmental Sustainability KTN and the Energy Saving Trust.

Nexeon’s silicon anode technology enables significantly greater Li-ion battery capacity to be achieved, providing lighter batteries with more energy and longer lifetime between charges. Its IP and know-how cover a unique solution to the cycle-life problem previously associated with silicon. Its fully automated and instrumented pilot plant is currently in full operation in the UK, and plans are in place for a volume manufacturing plant.

Dr Scott Brown, CEO of Nexeon, said “It’s great to see Nexeon’s technology getting such acknowledgement and acclaim, and we’re delighted to receive this latest award from Rushlight. We thank the judges for selecting Nexeon as winners of the Energy Efficiency Award 2012-2013. It is always a pleasure to have the value and benefits of our unique silicon anode technologies recognised.”

Nexeon was shortlisted for a One to Watch listing in the 2012 Cleantech Connect awards. These are given to companies that show an exciting new technology combined with great commercial promise.

Cleantech Connect is run by international technology investment group GP Bullhound to feature the hottest and fastest growing cleantech companies in Europe.

This year, companies featured come from a wide variety of sectors from consulting through to energy efficiency, solar, smart grid, water, transportation and waste.

Nexeon was listed in the Cleantech Connect listings in 2010 and 2011.

The judging committee assessed all nominees against criteria such as their breadth of experience, reputation in the sector and in wider industry, and on their achievements. Mr Black was praised by the judging panel for his significant expertise in scientific technology and his desire to ‘do things right’ from the start.

The hotly contested event saw finance leaders nominated by CEOs, banks, lawyers, private equity houses and media influencers across the country.

“Over the summer we have had the pleasure of meeting many people who have been nominated by their peers in the sector, and we have been overwhelmed by the talent and ambition, commercial focus, vision and scope of the remits that FDs have undertaken in 2012”, commented Julian Frost, Head of TMT at BDO.

“I’m delighted to have picked up this unexpected award”, said Michael Black. “It’s been a good year so far, having only recently joined Nexeon and now enjoying being part of the team making a real difference to the performance of rechargeable batteries, an issue important to all our lives.”

The awards Dinner yesterday featured a presentation from Ian Smith, former MD of Oracle UK.
Last month, Nexeon was named in the prestigious 2012 Global Cleantech 100.

List Recognizes the Top Companies in Clean Technology

Nexeon has been named in the prestigious 2012 Global Cleantech 100, produced by Cleantech Group, a leading global research and advisory firm focused on innovation in energy and the environment.

This is the second time Nexeon has been recognized in these prestigious awards which this year attracted over 8000 nominations from 85 countries. The Global Cleantech 100 list is unique in the sector by highlighting the promise of private clean technology companies from all around the world, focusing on those companies which are likely to make the most significant market impact over the next 5-10 years.

The list is derived from Cleantech Group’s own data and research combined with the viewpoints of a global panel of 75 cleantech experts, representative of the global cleantech community.

“We are naturally delighted that the expert panel has once again recognised the impact that silicon anode technology is projected to have on improving the performance of lithium ion batteries, and the rapid progress we are making against our commercial goals”, said Dr Scott Brown, CEO of Nexeon.

“The 2012 Global Cleantech 100 is markedly different in its composition to that of 2009, our first edition,” said Richard Youngman, Cleantech Group Managing Director. “As such, it is a strong statement of how the collective market opinion has shifted as to what type of companies are the most likely to have significant market impact in a 5-10 year timeframe.”

8,285 companies were nominated this year; these companies were weighted and scored to create a short list of 236 companies presented to the expert panel for final input. The end result was 100 companies from 13 countries.

The 75-member expert panel is drawn principally from leading financial investors in Asia, Europe and North America, and from representatives of multi-national corporations. The composition of the expert panel includes pioneers, leaders, veterans, and new entrants in cleantech resulting in a list of companies that command a broad base of respect and support from many important players within the global cleantech innovation ecosystem, not just insiders.

“The Global Cleantech 100 is a natural extension of our companywide mission to help corporations, investors and financiers, professional service firms and governmental agencies connect with global cleantech innovation” said Sheeraz Haji, Cleantech Group CEO.  “This report celebrates the best in innovation and is the industry standard on gauging where cleantech innovation is headed next.”

The complete list of 100 companies was revealed yesterday at the Global Cleantech 100 Summit & Gala in Washington, D.C.

For Cleantech Group’s profile on Nexeon, see the Cleantech website.

The full report with commentary and insight on the 2012 Global Cleantech 100 authored by Cleantech Group and sponsored by Autodesk, Deloitte, Wermuth Asset Management, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is available for download.

Nexeon has strengthened its top management team with the appointment of a Chief Financial Officer. Mr Michael Black takes up the role with immediate effect and is the first to hold the post.

Michael Black was previously Chief Financial Officer of “smart home services company” AlertMe, and before that held a similar role at Cambridge Display Technology. Previously he spent ten years at DuPont Pharmaceuticals, following a Management Studies degree from Cambridge University.

The appointment comes at an important time for Nexeon as the Company makes its plans for the establishment of a UK-based manufacturing facility for which it raised £40million last year.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome Michael to the Nexeon team”, said Dr Scott Brown, CEO of Nexeon. “He brings with him a great deal of relevant experience in the commercialisation of leading edge technology, and I look forward to his contribution.’

Nexeon’s use of silicon as a replacement for carbon in lithium ion batteries will enable significantly higher energy densities and longer life between charges, and is important in improving performance in consumer devices and electric vehicles.

Nexeon has been selected for inclusion in a special exhibition being put on at The Science Museum, London. Nexeon has been selected by the judges for the Make it in Great Britain Challenge.

The Make it in Great Britain Challenge is a national competition to find the most promising and cutting-edge British innovations. It is organized by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), and is part of the Make it in Great Britain campaign – which aims to transform the image of UK manufacturing.

Visitors to the Make it in Great Britain exhibition at the Science Museum, which runs from 24th July to 9th September, can vote for the entry which impressed them the most.

Nexeon’s technology uses specially structured silicon to replace carbon as the anode in lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, and this can deliver performance benefits in a range of consumer devices as well as accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles. Nexeon’s exhibit will be on show from 5th August.

The Company is growing fast, and has achieved several technology milestones in recent years, including producing Li-ion battery cells with the world’s highest capacity for their size. Last year, Nexeon raised £40 million to establish a UK manufacturing facility for its silicon materials.

Business Minister Mark Prisk said: “The UK is full of creative manufacturing expertise, and I’m delighted that we are able to celebrate some of the best pre-market ideas through the Challenge.”

“We’re honoured and thrilled to be part of this important initiative”, said Dr Scott Brown, CEO of Nexeon. “Our commercial partners appreciate our strong UK-based technical strengths, but also our ability to partner with them on a global basis.”

Nexeon is already in commercial discussion with a number of major corporations in selected application sectors.

Mr David Bent has joined Nexeon as Production Director from Dow Corning where he was latterly Global Capital Engineering Regional Manager, Europe and Asia. He was responsible for several major investment projects while living and working in Europe and China. In China, he held execution responsibility for the first phase of a £1 billion ‘green field’ chemical plant. David has a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering and is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

Joining Nexeon as R&D Director, Dr Mary McKiernan has a strong track record of material design experience in the organic electronics industry gained at Cambridge Display Technology (CDT), now a Sumitomo Chemical Group Company. Her previous role was Research Director at CDT where she had specific responsibility for material development strategy, and management of a significant multi-disciplinary team in the UK and a chemistry team in India. She has a strong record of developing collaborations with external companies, and has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge.

These appointments are important as Nexeon expands to accelerate application development and to increase support to its customers. As well as impressive technical progress, Nexeon is engaged in a number of significant commercial negotiations and customer-led projects with major global companies in the automotive and consumer electronics sectors.

“I’m delighted to welcome Mary and David to the Nexeon team”, said Dr Scott Brown, CEO of Nexeon. “They will be an important part of our growth plans as we move towards establishing the 250 tonnes/pa manufacturing facility for which we raised £40 million last year, and build up our working relationship with OEM partners.”

The new recruits join a high profile team: in the last couple of months, Nexeon has won two Rushlight Awards and a Climate Week Award for the ‘Best Technological Breakthrough’.

The awards ceremony was a splendid black tie (with a green twist!) affair at the Science Museum in London, and was presented by Business XL magazine along with sixteen sponsors, including the British Photovoltaic Association, Low Carbon Economy, Cleantech Investor and Science Business.

Imperial Innovations, a major investor in Nexeon, was also shortlisted for the award of Investor of the Year.