Deficits Of Innovation Management In The Application To The Disruptive Battery Industry

Abstract

With the electrification of the automotive industry and the resulting demand for batteries, Gigafactories are increasingly established by battery cell manufacturers or new players, especially in Europe, and North America. When planning Gigafactories, there are various planning challenges due to the high and long-term investments. In particular, the variety of innovations and short innovation cycles creates uncertainty in the planning process. Reviewing the background provided, the application of existing approaches from innovation management to the current battery industry was assessed in this paper. For this, the environment of battery production was first examined in more detail, resulting in the identification of the relevant requirements for an innovation management method. Based on this, standard methods of innovation management were examined and evaluated based on the derived requirements. The evaluation showed that standard methods of innovation management only partially fulfil some of the requirements, highlighting the necessity of a dedicated method for the battery industry. In conclusion, the deficits and potential levers for successful innovation management are discussed.