A keynote by Maren Gahr, EPCM Industry Director and Center of Competence Lead Battery at Drees & Sommer, put our expertise in future-ready battery factories in focus at this year’s Hungarian Battery Days in Debrecen.
Organised by the Hungarian Battery Association (HUBA) and held on 4–5 November 2026 in Debrecen, a key industrial hub in Hungary, the conference brought together participants from more than 20 countries and 150 companies. Drees & Sommer actively contributed to discussions on the technological, economic and sustainability challenges shaping the battery and e-mobility sector.
Our team brought together international battery expertise and local project experience: Ákos Koloszár, Managing Director of Drees & Sommer Hungary, and Szilveszter Kádár, a Senior Project Manager working on industrial and automotive projects in the Debrecen region, joined Maren Gahr, EPCM Industry Director and Center of Competence Lead Battery at Drees & Sommer, who delivered a keynote at the event.
A keynote on the battery megafactory of the future
Maren Gahr delivered the keynote Designing the Smart, Adaptive, and Sustainable Battery Megafactory of the Future. Her presentation explored how integrated factory planning can connect flexibility, efficiency and sustainability across the factory lifecycle.
The central message: a factory should be considered as one connected lifecycle, from the earliest planning decisions through commissioning and operation. Bringing disciplines and data together from the outset helps preserve knowledge across project phases and creates a foundation for better-informed decisions.
Integrated Factory Planning brings product, process, equipment, building and infrastructure together, embedding digitalisation and sustainability from the start. A central Planning Hub connects these disciplines through a shared data model, improving consistency and helping teams identify risks and resolve interfaces earlier.
Digital Planning and Digital Twin-ready handover preserve the knowledge created during planning so that project data continues to support commissioning and operations. A Sensorized Environment links digital models with the physical factory through real-time machine, asset and process data, providing a foundation for simulation, predictive maintenance and AI-supported operations.
Virtual commissioning enables systems and scenarios to be tested before physical implementation, supporting quality control, smoother ramp-up and potential cost savings. Together, these approaches can support more resilient factory operations. A continuous learning loop allows operational insights to feed back into planning, helping improve the next generation of factory modules and processes.
International perspectives in a key battery hub
Debrecen provided a fitting setting for these discussions. The city’s battery and automotive ecosystem connects the conference themes with the practical demands of industrial development.
The programme covered Hungary’s strategic position in the battery value chain; global market trends and supply chains; green energy and decarbonisation; technology innovation and R&D; circular economy and recycling; and e-mobility and energy storage deployment. Bringing industry leaders, policymakers and researchers together created an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the sector’s future.
Our official partnership and keynote provided a platform to share Drees & Sommer’s approach to integrated, digitally connected and sustainable factory planning with an international industry audience. Our participation also underscored Drees & Sommer’s role as an active player in the Debrecen region, which offers growing potential for new industrial and real estate projects.