EV battery materials company to construct new $175M manufacturing facility in Flint

FLINT, MI – NanoGraf, a leading battery materials company, is set to bring a $175 million manufacturing facility to Flint’s former historic Buick City, a project that promises to create hundreds of jobs and revitalize the local economy.

U.S. Rep Dan Kildee (D-Flint Twp.) expressed enthusiasm following the U.S. Department of Energy’s announcement of a $60 million grant to NanoGraf for the construction of a new manufacturing facility.

“I’m thrilled to see the Biden-Harris administration invest in American manufacturing right here in Flint,” Kildee said in a news release. “This major investment, which I fought hard to bring to our district, will create hundreds of new construction jobs and permanent jobs in Flint and breathe new life into the once bustling Buick City plant.

“My hometown has gone through a lot in the past few decades, but Flint families are resilient. I was proud to support new laws, like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to invest in new economic projects to bring good-paying jobs back to our communities. This investment will help to create jobs, strengthen U.S. supply chains, and ensure we manufacture things in Michigan and the United States.”

The facility will create approximately 200 new construction jobs through a project labor agreement with the North American Building Trades Union — and up to 150 permanent jobs, with 80% sourced from local talent — for the company to produce 2,500 tons of its proprietary silicon anode battery material annually, enough to supply 1.5 million EVs per year according to a company news release.

NanoGraf, a U.S.-based advanced battery materials company specializing in the development of high-performance silicon anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, has signed a neutrality agreement with the United Steelworkers and is committed to partnering with them should a majority of employees wish to be represented by the union.

Founded in 2012, NanoGraf focuses on enhancing battery energy density, which allows batteries to store more energy, last longer, and charge faster.

“As a U.S.-based and U.S.-founded company, we’re committed to strengthening the domestic battery supply chain—and this factory is a big step forward,” said Francis Wang, CEO of NanoGraf, in a statement. “Our expansion into Michigan will allow us to leap to larger scale production to meet national demands for high-performing EV batteries and consumer electronics.

“This next stage of our growth further propels our position as a global leader in the race to electrification while also supporting communities at the local level by strengthening union relationships and building a skilled battery manufacturing workforce in the Midwest.”

Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley welcomed the company to the city.

“The combined investment from NanoGraf and the Department of Energy will ensure domestic access to innovative battery technology, meeting future demand for higher-performing EVs, and creating high-paying jobs that will benefit Flint for years to come,” he said in a statement.

This is the second company to announce a move into the former Buick City, now called the Flint Commerce Center.

A packaging company with ties to General Motors became the first tenant at the old Buick City site in Flint.

Victory Packaging will occupy 166,000 square feet in the first spec building at the Commerce Center with its five-year lease starting in October, said Kevin Hegg, vice president of Ashley Capital, which is redeveloping the property.

Ashley Capital completed the purchase of roughly 300 acres of the former GM property in November from the Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust, which was charged with cleaning up contamination and reselling the former Buick site and 88 other properties that were abandoned by GM during its 2009 bankruptcy.

Ashley broke ground on the first building in the Commerce Center more than a year ago on 20 acres it purchased in advance of the closing on the purchase of the additional 273 acres from RACER.

The Commerce Center is expected to provide 3.5 million square feet of business space and be home to approximately 2,500 full-time employees.

Nearly $100 million of funding has gone toward the Commerce Center from a local and state level.