DTRONIX specialise in supporting warranty and non-warranty electronic product returns for the Automotive OEM, Aftermarket, and Professional Audio Equipment industries. Their expertise lies in the service, repair, analysis, remanufacturing and refurbishing of electronic products.

Challenge

The micromobility sector is growing at a rapid speed, with the trade forecast to be worth up to $150 billion in Europe by 2030. With the rise of micromobility vehicles being used, Dtronix recognised there was an opportunity to help make the industry more sustainable by reviewing what happens to faulty battery packs and battery management systems.

Currently, a large number of end-of-life, faulty and defective battery packs end up in landfill. Often these products could be repaired or repurposed. For example, a switch failure, which can easily be repaired or replaced, often results in the whole battery pack being discarded. There are therefore wide ranging environmental and financial benefits through providing second life applications for the batteries.

In light of this insight, Dtronix partnered with WMG and took part in the WMG Internship Programme. The main objective of the collaboration was to use Dtronix skills for identifying ways to repurpose lithium-ion battery packs from the micromobility sector.

Solution

The intern Arun Choudhary joined the Dtronix team for 12 weeks. Arun was tasked with finding how Dtronix could minimise the number of batteries going to landfill and propose ways to add revenue streams and maximise profits. Arun was aware that end-of-life batteries still hold up to 80% capacity that can be repurposed in low C-rated applications (such as energy storage), which Dtronix could then add as a revenue stream.

Arun’s investigations led to two valuable findings. Firstly, that batteries, which are destined for recycling could be reused or repurposed and have a second life. Secondly, that it is possible to take these batteries and place them back into the market before extracting the key materials for recycling. These findings have the potential to add an additional revenue stream that Dtronix could add to their portfolio.

During his internship, Arun wrote a formal business plan for the company, which included strategic and tactical recommendations for test equipment and storage solutions to help reduce costs.

Impact

Dtronix valued Arun’s hard work and insights and hired him as a full-time employee after his internship period. By using the Internship Programme and working with WMG, Dtronix have now a clear direction and strategy to help them achieve their vision of reducing the number of batteries going to landfill by leading responsible and sustainable solutions.

By specialising in micromobility, Dtronix have engaged with market leaders in the industry and fast becoming leaders in the Lithium-ion battery recycling market.

“Through this internship, I took a dive into the micromobility market and ended up developing a deep passion for this revolutionary sector. I have also gained new business development skills, growing my network and making new connections in the industry. The experience has also helped me hone my market research skills and technical knowledge in the world of batteries” Arun Choudhary, Intern, WMG.

“Sustainability is the driving force of everything we do here at Dtronix. Taking an intern on board gave this project the focus and the time it needed. It has been a valuable journey which will help us grow the business in a new direction. We’re excited to see the benefits of putting Arun’s hard work into action!” Monica Dass, Director, Dtronix.

For more information about working with us please email wmgsme@warwick.ac.uk