November 3, 2022: Kimberly Medford, president of ENTEK Manufacturing, took part in a White House event on November 2 in support of the Talent Pipeline Challenge — a US government-backed initiative encouraging investment in domestic infrastructure jobs.
ENTEK said the event was an opportunity for the US-headquartered battery separators group to showcase the firm’s commitment to supporting federal plans to expand its electric vehicle and energy storage battery supply chain.
Medford (right) joined employers, training providers and state and local government leaders for the event.
The Talent Pipeline Challenge encourages employers to partner with and hire skilled workers from at least one training provider in each region in which the employer has operations, such as a registered apprenticeship program or a community college with a diverse student population.
“We want to create more American jobs producing battery parts using the most advanced technologies and meeting the cleanest environmental standards in the world,” Medford said.
Oregon-headquartered ENTEK has already partnered with several organizations, such as the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center, to boost training for skilled workers to get quality, well-paying jobs in the transition to a clean energy economy.
The company said Medford and ENTEK CEO Larry Keith met Oregon congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici last month to discuss the importance of creating opportunities for skilled workers and a “robust domestic workforce”.
BESB reported last month that ENTEK had secured a tranche of undisclosed US federal funding to support the country’s domestic battery materials supply chain by ramping up its production of electric vehicle battery separators.
ENTEK said in April its investments would start with the installation of 50 million m2 of additional ceramic coating capacity at the company’s facility in Henderson, Nevada, which is scheduled to be commissioned in the first half of 2023 to support current base film production.
The company said it will have completed its initial planned expansion of lithium ion separator production capabilities in the US by 2025.