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Chemicals & Advanced Materials > Electronic & Battery Materials Practice

Electronic & Battery Materials Practice

Umbrex connects providers of electronic & battery materials to independent consultants with deep experience in the industry.

Over 90% of our Electronic & Battery Materials Practice consultants are alums of McKinsey, Bain, or BCG.

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Prefer email? Write to [email protected]

Client Segments Umbrex Serves

  • Battery-Grade Refiners & Precursors: Producers of battery-grade LiOH/Li2CO3, NiSO4, CoSO4, P-CAM and synthetic/processed graphite; scaling feedstock, conversion yield, ESG, and offtake with cell OEMs.
  • Active Materials & Components Manufacturers: Makers of CAM/AAM, separators, electrolytes, binders and additives; optimizing scale-up, cost, quality, qualification, regionalization, and IP to meet OEM/local-content demands.
  • Battery Recycling & Materials Reclamation: Black-mass processors and recyclers using hydro/pyromet routes; improving collection, process yields, permitting, traceability, and closed-loop offtake into precursors and active materials.
  • Semiconductor Process Chemicals (Non-gases): Suppliers of photoresists/ancillaries, CMP slurries/pads, etch/clean chemistries, plating, and ECD materials; driving purity, capacity, fab qualifications, and global technical service.
  • Display, PCB & Advanced Packaging Materials: Providers of OLED/LC materials, photoimageable dielectrics, underfills, mold compounds, TIMs, solder pastes and inks; winning specs, reliability, and regional supply for electronics OEMs/OSATs.

Selected Capabilities of our Electronic & Battery Materials Practice

Strategy & Corporate Development

  • Corporate Strategy And Portfolio Repositioning: Define where to play across cathode, anode, separators, electrolytes, recycling; align to OEM demand, IRA and EU Battery Regulation; set ambition, milestones, governance.
  • Localization And Vertical Integration Strategy: Design regionalization and vertical integration plans across mining, refining, precursors, and cathode active material (CAM); optimize IRA domestic content, carbon footprint, and supply security.
  • M&A And Joint Venture Thesis And Diligence: Develop theses for mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures; diligence technology, cost curves, access, permitting, ESG liabilities, offtakes; quantify synergies and risks in gigafactory supply chains.
  • Offtake, Partnership, And Commercial Model Strategy: Structure offtake agreements and partnerships with cell makers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); design pricing formulas, indexation, take-or-pay, and volume flex to stabilize margins.
  • Capital Allocation And Value Creation Plan: Prioritize investments across capacity, recycling, refining, and R&D; build scenarios and milestones; connect to EBITDA uplift, cost curves, and risk-adjusted NPV delivery.

Operations

  • Cathode And Anode Production System Design: Deploy a battery materials production system across precursor, calcination, mixing, coating, drying, calendaring; institute tiered daily management; lift OEE, first-pass yield, and throughput.
  • Yield And Scrap Reduction In Electrode Manufacturing: Diagnose defects and losses—pinholes, edge cracks, agglomerates, misalignment; optimize slurry rheology, coating window, drying profile, and calendaring; increase first-pass yield, grade mix, and margin.
  • Dry Room Performance And Moisture Control: Benchmark dew point, airlocks, gowning, and material flow; tighten segregation and handling protocols; cut moisture ingress, lithium hydrolysis defects, and unplanned downtime.
  • Roll-To-Roll Line OEE And Speed Optimization: Debottleneck coating, drying ovens, winding, slitting; stabilize tension control and recipe transitions; reduce web breaks and changeovers; raise line speed, availability, and utilization.
  • Traceability, SPC, And Inline Metrology: Implement inline thickness, basis weight, and defect inspection; embed statistical process control and genealogy; reduce variability, complaint rates, and automotive audit readiness.

Supply Chain

  • Integrated Business Planning For Gigafactory Supply: Implement Integrated Business Planning (IBP) aligning OEM call-offs, capacity, and raw materials; set constrained plans and buffers; improve on-time-in-full (OTIF), forecast accuracy, and working capital.
  • Network And Localization Design: Design manufacturing and distribution network across plants, ports, rail, and near-customer hubs; optimize service, cost, inventory, and localization compliance under IRA and EU Battery Regulation.
  • Critical Minerals Risk And Dual Sourcing: Build resilience for lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite; qualify dual sources, map tier-2/3, model scenarios, set buffers; reduce disruptions, lead times, exposure to supply shocks.
  • Constrained ATP And Customer Allocation Management: Redesign Available-to-Promise (ATP) across grades, purity, and specs; allocate constrained cathode active material (CAM) and anode capacity to customers; cut expedites, cancellations, and revenue leakage.
  • Inventory Segmentation, VMI, And Near-Plant Buffers: Set safety stocks by volatility, shelf life, and demand uncertainty; deploy consignment and vendor-managed inventory near OEMs; reduce stockouts, obsolescence, and working capital.

Procurement & Strategic Sourcing

  • Category Strategy For Critical Minerals And Battery Chemicals: Build category strategies for lithium carbonate/hydroxide, nickel sulphate, cobalt sulphate, graphite, PVDF, NMP; segment suppliers; secure supply, reduce cost, meet IRA and EU Battery Regulation.
  • Should-Cost Modeling And Indexation Contracting: Develop feedstock and process should-costs; design price formulas tied to LME, Fastmarkets, energy indexes with floors/collars; improve price transparency, deflation capture, margin stability.
  • Upstream Offtake And Long-Term Supply Negotiation: Structure and negotiate offtakes with miners/refiners, including take-or-pay, volume flex, prepayment, conversion fees; lock capacity, traceability, and certified low-carbon material.
  • Supplier Qualification, Risk, And ESG Diligence: Prequalify to automotive standards; assess process capability, permits, human rights, chain-of-custody; implement scorecards and contingency plans; reduce disruptions and compliance risk.
  • Tolling And Outsourced Processing Sourcing: Source and contract tollers for precursor synthesis, calcination, coating, and recycling; validate capability, yields, and safety; expand capacity flex with competitive conversion cost.

Organization

  • Enterprise Operating Model And JV Governance: Design enterprise and joint-venture operating model for battery materials; define decision rights, governance cadence, RASCI, escalation; accelerate decisions, accountability, and partner alignment.
  • Spans And Layers And Role Architecture: Optimize spans, layers, and role clarity across plants, labs, engineering, supply chain; standardize job families and competencies; increase agility, supervisor capacity, and retention.
  • Workforce Planning And Talent Pipelines: Build workforce plans and pipelines for electrochemists, process engineers, maintenance, automation, and quality; design academies and apprenticeships; reduce hiring bottlenecks and time-to-competency.
  • Performance Management And Incentive Design: Implement scorecards and incentives tied to safety, first-pass yield, OEE, delivery, and cost; tighten accountability and rhythm; drive sustained performance improvement.
  • Centers Of Excellence And Technical Ladder: Stand up process engineering and advanced analytics centers of excellence and technical career ladders; codify standards, mentoring, and mobility; scale best practices across sites.

Pricing

  • Price Architecture And Indexation: Define list, floor, target prices and formula pricing indexed to LME nickel, Fastmarkets lithium, energy surcharges; align to purity, grade, and specs; maintain margins.
  • Offtake Pricing Model And Risk Sharing: Structure offtake formulas, take-or-pay, volume flex, floor, cap, collar mechanisms, escalators; manage exposure to raw materials, energy, foreign exchange; stabilize EBITDA and cash flows.
  • Conversion Fee And Toll Pricing Strategy: Design conversion-fee structures separating feedstock cost from processing; set tiered fees by grade and complexity; improve transparency, negotiation outcomes, and margin recovery.
  • Price Increase Execution And Communication: Run pricing playbooks, justification packs, and customer communications linked to indexes and cost curves; accelerate realization and reduce disputes.
  • Deal Desk And CPQ Enablement: Implement deal desk with configure price quote (CPQ) software, guardrails, exception thresholds, and price corridors; shorten quote cycles, improve approval compliance, and win probability.

Finance

  • Battery Materials Costing And Conversion Margin Analytics: Redesign standard costing separating feedstock, energy, and conversion; build cathode/anode SKU profitability and cost-to-serve; improve price setting, surcharge recovery, and portfolio decisions.
  • Working Capital And Cash Conversion Cycle Optimization: Optimize order-to-cash, procure-to-pay, inventory buffers for lithium/nickel/graphite; redesign terms, LC usage, prepayments; reduce DSO, DIO, DPO imbalances; unlock cash for growth.
  • Commodity And FX Risk Policy And Hedging: Map exposures to LME nickel, Fastmarkets lithium, cobalt, energy, USD/CNY/EUR; define risk appetite; execute hedges, collars, and pass-through alignment; stabilize EBITDA and cash flows.
  • Incentives And Tax Credit Monetization: Secure and monetize IRA Section 45X, 48C, state grants, EU IPCEI; model eligibility, transferability, timing; optimize site selection, capital stack, and after-tax returns.
  • Project And Offtake Finance Structuring: Structure SPVs, project finance, prepayments, ECAs, supply-chain finance, green bonds; align offtake terms to financing; lower WACC, strengthen liquidity, and fund capacity expansions.

AI, Data & Analytics

  • Battery Materials Data Platform And Genealogy Integration: Build lakehouse integrating Enterprise Resource Planning and Manufacturing Execution System with historians and Laboratory Information Management System; govern specs and genealogy; enable battery passport analytics.
  • Yield Prediction And Recipe Recommendation: Use machine learning and soft sensors on line data to predict yield loss and recommend setpoints; reduce scrap, first-pass failures, and variability.
  • Predictive Maintenance For Roll To Roll And Thermal Equipment: Deploy anomaly detection on vibration, current, and temperature signals; predict failures in coaters, slitters, calciners, and dryers; cut unplanned downtime and maintenance cost.
  • Deep Learning Computer Vision For Electrode Defects: Train deep learning models for surface defects, edge cracks, pinholes, and misalignment; integrate with line controls; reduce rework, scrap, and customer complaints.
  • Materials Informatics And Property Prediction: Apply cheminformatics and Bayesian optimization to predict electrochemical performance and suggest formulations; accelerate lab cycles, reduce experiments, and improve time-to-qualification.

Transformation

  • Transformation Office And Value Realization: Establish enterprise transformation office for battery materials; set initiatives, OKRs, and benefits tracking; deliver EBITDA uplift from yield, energy, SG&A, and working capital.
  • Ramp Stabilization And Performance Turnaround: Orchestrate multi-site gigafactory ramp stabilization and performance turnaround; accelerate time-to-rate, lift first-pass yield, cut scrap and rework, and stabilize throughput with disciplined daily management.
  • Cost Transformation And Zero Based Budgeting: Run zero-based budgeting and structural cost programs across conversion, utilities, logistics, and SG&A; redesign spend controls; capture sustainable cost reduction and margin expansion.
  • Digital And Lean At Scale: Scale Lean production system and digital workflows across coating, drying, slitting; standardize playbooks and capability building; improve OEE, cycle time, and adoption across sites.
  • Post Merger Integration And Synergy Delivery: Integrate plants, labs, systems, and joint ventures; protect customers and offtakes; deliver procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and SG&A synergies with rigorous tracking and governance.

Innovation

  • Innovation Strategy And Technology Roadmapping: Define platform bets across LFP, NMC, silicon anode, solid-state electrolytes, and recycling; map Technology Readiness Level and Manufacturing Readiness Level; prioritize milestones, resources, and partnerships.
  • Venture Co-Creation And New Business Building: Incubate ventures in precursor refining, direct lithium extraction, black-mass recycling, and solid-state materials; design business models, governance, and joint ventures (JVs); secure pilots, customers, funding.
  • Customer Co-Development And Qualification Programs: Structure Joint Development Agreements (JDAs) with cell makers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); orchestrate samples, trials, and gates; accelerate qualification, secure offtakes, reduce time-to-revenue.
  • Open Innovation And Ecosystem Partnerships: Build partnerships with startups, universities, and national labs; run scouting, challenges, and corporate venture investments; access novel chemistries, accelerate proof-of-concept, and de-risk technology choices.
  • Pilot Plant Acceleration And Scale-Up Incubator: Design pilot and demo programs using Design of Experiments; set go or no-go gates tied to TRL and MRL; shorten time-to-rate and capex risk.

Sustainability

  • Net Zero Roadmap And Abatement Program: Define Scope 1–2 decarbonization for calciners, dryers, dry rooms; model abatement curves; deploy electrification, fuel switching, heat recovery, renewable PPAs; cut CO2e intensity.
  • Scope 3 Feedstock Decarbonization And Supplier Engagement: Launch supplier program for low‑carbon lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite; set targets, scorecards, and incentives; adopt ISCC PLUS mass-balance and chain‑of‑custody; reduce Product Carbon Footprint.
  • Life Cycle Assessment And Product Carbon Footprints: Build cradle‑to‑gate LCAs and Product Carbon Footprints per ISO 14040/44 and EU Battery Regulation rules; verify datasets; enable battery passport disclosures and low‑carbon grades positioning.
  • Closed-Loop Scrap And Black Mass Circularity: Design closed‑loop programs for electrode scrap, solvents, and black‑mass recycling; qualify partners, material flows, and specifications; cut waste, virgin material usage, and Scope 3 emissions.
  • Solvent Emissions Abatement And Water Stewardship: Implement NMP recovery, VOC abatement, and water balance optimization; reduce emissions, solvent loss, and water intensity; capture incentives and operating cost savings.

Compliance

  • Responsible Sourcing And Human Rights Due Diligence: Implement OECD and EU Battery Regulation due diligence for cobalt, nickel, lithium; enforce chain‑of‑custody, grievance mechanisms, supplier audits; secure Responsible Minerals Assurance and OEM approvals.
  • Battery Regulation Compliance And Battery Passport Readiness: Build EU Battery Regulation compliance for carbon footprints, due diligence, recycled content, QR-code passport data and audit trails; safeguard market access, tenders, and customer certifications.
  • Global Trade And Sanctions Compliance: Build trade compliance for sanctions screening, export controls, Harmonized System (HS) classification, origin and valuation; tighten documentation and broker instructions; cut customs holds, penalties, delays.
  • Anti Corruption And Third Party Controls: Deploy Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and UK Bribery compliance for miners, brokers, agents; risk scoring, due diligence, contract clauses, audits; prevent bribery, fraud, enforcement.
  • Environmental Health And Safety Compliance Management: Design EHS compliance system for N‑methyl‑2‑pyrrolidone, volatile organic compounds, hazardous waste, Title V air, wastewater, and Seveso or Process Safety; reduce incidents, notices, and shutdowns.

Program & Portfolio Management

  • Enterprise PMO For Gigafactory Scale-Up: Operate enterprise PMO for multi-site capacity expansions and ramp programs; enforce stage gates, integrated master schedule, risk, and change control; improve schedule adherence and time-to-rate.
  • Capital Portfolio Prioritization And Governance: Prioritize capex across cathode, anode, recycling, and compliance; apply risk-adjusted NPV and constraints; optimize sequencing, funding, and approvals; maximize value and throughput.
  • New Product Introduction And Qualification Portfolio Management: Govern NPI portfolio with OEM qualification stages; align samples, trials, and gates; optimize resources; accelerate approvals and time-to-revenue.
  • Resource Capacity And Scenario Planning: Manage constrained chemists, engineers, pilot lines, and dry rooms; run what-if scenarios; balance demand and capacity; protect critical-path milestones.
  • Benefits Realization And KPI Governance: Set baselines, targets, dashboards, and ownership; track NPV, EBITDA, capacity, yield; audit benefits; sustain results with cadence, escalation, and course correction.

Information Technology

  • S/4HANA For Battery Materials And ERP Modernization: Blueprint and implement SAP S/4HANA PP-PI, batch and quality management, EWM, and finance; harmonize master data; standardize order-to-cash and plan-to-produce; improve traceability and close speed.
  • MES And Electronic Batch Records Integration: Deploy Manufacturing Execution System (MES) for roll-to-roll lines; integrate with control systems and PLCs; enable electronic batch records, genealogy; improve OEE and audit readiness.
  • Lab Informatics Modernization: Implement LIMS, ELN, and SDMS; integrate with PLM and ERP; digitize tests and Certificates of Analysis; shorten qualification cycles and strengthen traceability.
  • Product Lifecycle Management And Digital Thread: Deploy PLM for formulations, recipes, and change control; connect to LIMS, QMS, MES, and ERP; improve version control, time-to-qualification, and end-to-end traceability.
  • IT OT Cybersecurity And Network Segmentation: Assess OT assets; implement IEC 62443 zones, secure remote access, patching, monitoring; integrate SIEM and incident response; reduce ransomware risk, downtime, and audit findings.

Capital Projects

  • Front-End Loading And Techno-Economic Assessment: Develop FEL 1–3 for CAM/anode plants—process route selection, dry-room sizing, utilities/offsites, site and grid options, permitting path, risked NPV, and stage-gate deliverables.
  • EPC Strategy And Contracting Model Design: Select EPC versus EPCm, alliance, or modular contracts; define performance guarantees for dew point, throughput, solvent emissions; align incentives, change control, and claims prevention.
  • Cost Estimating, Controls, And Schedule Risk: Build AACE Class 5–1 estimates, WBS, earned value and 4D BIM; run Monte Carlo schedule risk; cut overruns, change orders, and delays.
  • Owner’s Requirements And Design-To-Value For Dry Rooms And Utilities: Define owner requirements; review EPC designs for dry rooms, HVAC, N‑methyl‑2‑pyrrolidone (NMP) recovery, abatement, wastewater, and power; optimize capex, energy intensity, maintainability, and regulatory compliance.
  • Permitting And Grid Interconnection Management: Map and sequence environmental permits, solvent and hazardous waste approvals, building codes, and grid interconnection; coordinate agencies and utilities; reduce approval risk and critical-path delays.

Research & Development

  • R&D Strategy And Portfolio Governance: Define platform roadmaps across cathode active material (CAM), anode, electrolyte, separator; set TRL/MRL gates and resource allocation; concentrate investment on advantaged chemistries.
  • Formulation Scale-Up And Tech Transfer Excellence: Standardize Design of Experiments (DoE), critical process parameters (CPPs), and control plans; pilot-to-plant playbooks; de-risk calcination, drying, coating; improve first-time-right and time-to-rate.
  • OEM Qualification Protocols And Reliability Testing: Define test matrices for electrochemical performance, abuse, aging, calendar and cycle life; align with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specifications; compress qualification timelines and secure offtakes.
  • Failure Analysis And Advanced Characterization: Stand up standardized failure analysis using SEM, XRD, XPS, ICP, GC‑MS; link mechanisms to defects; accelerate root cause closure and corrective design.
  • Design To Value And Cost For Manufacturability: Optimize formulations and processes for yield, energy, solvent recovery, and material utilization; translate customer requirements to costed specs; improve margin and scalability.

Quality Management Systems

  • Global QMS Design And IATF 16949 Readiness: Build ISO 9001/IATF 16949 system; process maps, procedures, internal audits, management review; achieve certification, reduce nonconformances, and strengthen automotive customer audit performance.
  • APQP And PPAP For Battery Materials: Implement APQP with DFMEA/PFMEA, control plans, MSA, capability studies; manage PPAP submissions and run-at-rate; accelerate approvals and reduce customer complaints.
  • Supplier Quality And Contamination Control: Build supplier qualification, audits, COA checks, impurity and moisture limits, sampling and skip-lot plans; enforce SCARs; reduce incoming defects, variability, and batch failures.
  • Complaint, Deviation, And CAPA Excellence: Standardize complaint intake, deviation handling, root cause analysis and 8D; implement effectiveness checks; shorten closure cycle time and prevent recurrence.
  • Batch Release, COA Integrity, And Change Control: Define batch release criteria, Certificate of Analysis accuracy, specification limits, and change control governance; prevent mislabeling, unauthorized changes, and recalls.

Regulatory Affairs & Product Stewardship

  • Global Chemical Registration And Market Access: Plan multi-jurisdiction registrations under REACH, UK REACH, TSCA, K‑REACH, KKDIK, CSCL; strategy, Only Representative, dossiers, tonnage bands; secure market access for CAM precursors, solvents, additives.
  • Safety Data Sheets And Hazard Communication Program: Standardize SDS and labels per GHS/CLP; determine classification and exposure scenarios; implement UFI and Poison Centre Notifications; improve compliance, customer acceptance, and transport readiness.
  • Restricted Substances And Substitution Strategy: Build governance for SVHC, REACH Annex XVII (NMP), PFAS, Proposition 65, SCIP; assess risk, prioritize reformulations, and supplier changes; protect revenue and OEM approvals.
  • Dangerous Goods Classification And Transport Compliance: Set UN numbers, packing groups, and special provisions; align IMDG, IATA, ADR for powders, slurries, NMP; optimize packaging and documentation; reduce shipment delays and penalties.
  • Product Stewardship And Customer Regulatory Support: Establish product stewardship governance, compliance letters, TDS alignment, SVHC and SCIP disclosures, and change notifications; accelerate qualifications, win specifications, and minimize downstream compliance escalations.

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Find a consultant in our Electronic & Battery Materials Practice

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