Hitachi, Ricoh and Seven Other Firms to Co-Build Modular EV Battery Factories, Cutting Costs by Up to 70%
Alina Collins
Nine Japanese battery-equipment makers formed Swiftfab Energy Systems in April, aiming to build EV battery factories from shipping-container-sized modules — cutting construction costs by ~70% and build times by half, targeting Japan's chronic problem of slow, expensive factory rollouts.
What exactly does this new company do?
Nine Japanese battery-equipment suppliers jointly formed Swiftfab Energy Systems this April with a single mission: package battery-production equipment into standardized, shipping-container-sized modules.
In plain terms = building a factory becomes stacking blocks — ship the modules to a site, stack and connect them, and you have a production line.
A plant producing enough batteries for 50,000 EVs per year would need roughly 1,000 modules. The first factory is targeted for completion by end of 2030, backed by Japanese government subsidies.
How much time and money does this save?
A conventional Japanese battery plant takes four to six years from design to production. Swiftfab expects the modular approach to cut that to two to three years.
Total factory cost is projected to fall by roughly 70% versus the traditional method. This means → the same budget that built one plant could theoretically build three.
Operating costs drop too: smaller equipment means lower energy consumption and lighter maintenance burdens.
What problem in Japan's battery industry does this address?
A single Japanese battery maker typically coordinates more than 50 suppliers; a delay at any one can stall the entire timeline — the root cause of Japan's long build cycles.
Each supplier separately sources sensors, motors, and other common components, creating massive duplication. In plain terms = fifty companies each buying their own screws, with nobody doing a group order.
Swiftfab's fix: unified module packaging, centralized procurement of common parts, and standardized equipment specs — turning a fragmented supply chain into a single coordinated pipeline.
How far behind China is Japan right now?
Chinese companies currently hold roughly 70% of the global EV battery market.
In battery-production equipment, Japanese suppliers account for just 9% of the global market in 2025, versus 25% for Chinese firms. This means → Japan trails not only in making batteries but also in making the machines that make batteries.
Swiftfab president Keisuke Kida stated the goal explicitly: outcompete Chinese rivals in overseas markets. But closing the gap from 9% to beyond 25% remains a long road.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.