The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), the UK’s national battery manufacturing development facility, has appointed Jason Watkins as its new Commercial Director. Watkins, who has more than 30 years of commercial experience, will be responsible for business development, sales, and customer project delivery, and will work as part of UKBIC’s Executive Team, reporting into Managing Director Sean Gilgunn. “I’m excited to be joining UKBIC and to begin helping to commercialise our growing portfolio of tools to help the industry grow,” said Jason. “I look forward to working closely with our partners, customers and the wider sector to unlock new opportunities in the battery manufacturing sector.” Prior to joining UKBIC, Jason was Commercial Director for Prodrive Advanced Technology where he had responsibility for business development, sales and marketing, programme management, and growing revenues by transitioning from smaller R&D projects through to larger volume production programmes that also included initial R&D. Watkins’ experience includes working as Global President for Test Services at Ricardo Plc, Head of Motorsport Business for McLaren Applied Technologies, and in various roles for Cosworth Group. Sean Gilgunn, UKBIC’s Managing Director, added: “We’re excited to welcome Jason to UKBIC. His experience should further strengthen our relationships with customers and partners alike. Jason’s appointment reinforces our commitment to supporting industry and delivering meaningful impact to the battery development and manufacturing landscape.”  -ends- Notes to Editors To arrange an interview or to request photography please email richard.robinson@ukbic.co.uk or phone +44 (0) 7503 62889 UKBIC is the UK’s national battery manufacturing development facility, providing scale-up, laboratory expertise, and module and pack assembly, and helping develop skills to support the sector. By bridging the gap between research and high-volume manufacturing, UKBIC plays a critical role in supporting the UK’s transition to net zero and strengthening its position in the global battery supply chain. UKBIC provides state-of-the-art equipment, technical expertise, and training to help manufacturers and researchers validate processes, optimise performance, and reduce risk before committing to large-scale investment. The facility offers both pilot and industrial-scale lines, enabling customers to trial new materials and processes under real-world conditions. UKBIC also supplies its own benchmark products for component testing and delivers specialist training to develop the skills required for a battery-powered future. UKBIC is uniquely positioned to tackle complex manufacturing challenges. With expertise in processing diverse materials and products, and access to a broad range of advanced technologies, its engineers bring a comprehensive understanding of issues that span the entire battery value chain. UKBIC is a strategic delivery partner of the Battery Innovation Programme, funded by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by Innovate UK.

The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) has released a new white paper detailing pioneering work to tackle one of the most persistent manufacturing challenges in lithium-ion battery production, the air entrainment in electrode slurries during wet slurry casting.