Vreden, Germany – June 01, 2026 — Matthews International Corporation (“Matthews” or the “Company”) announces the full operational readiness of its new Development Center in Vreden, Germany.

With the launch of the Company’s next-generation production solution for battery and energy storage systems, along with the commissioning of the mass production demonstration machine named MEODEO™, the Center now offers complete development and testing capabilities from lab to mass production applications in the energy storage sector. The launch of MEODEO™ marks the culmination of more than a decade of Matthews Engineering’s industrialization expertise in dry electrode calendering and laminating processes built on the Company’s deep technical know-how and intellectual property portfolio.

A strategic milestone for energy and battery manufacturing

Opened in May 2025, the 1,000-square-meter Development Center represents a significant expansion of Matthews Engineering’s development and testing infrastructure. It is dedicated to accelerating industrial process optimization, advancing next-generation energy technologies, and enabling sustainable, production-ready manufacturing solutions. Unlike typical pilot or early-stage demonstration facilities, the Vreden Development Center is explicitly designed to bridge the critical gap between laboratory validation, pilot-scale trials, and mass production environments. The final milestone of the Development Center was previewed during the Matthews Engineering Energy Summit in September 2025, where industry leaders, technology partners, and research institutions gathered to explore the industrialization of future energy technologies. At the heart of the event was the first full-scale preview of MEODEO™, Matthews Engineering’s next-generation rotary processing and calendering system.

MEODEO™: Designed for real-world production

The MEODEO™ – installed on the ground floor hall of the Development Center – is a full-scale, 1:1 demonstration and testing line engineered to support lithium-ion dry battery electrode (DBE), solid-state battery, and ultracapacitor manufacturing and development. By generating transferable results on the MEODEO™ reference line in Vreden, Matthews Engineering enables customers to replicate processes on their own production lines, accelerating the path from development to industrial-scale manufacturing.
As a commercially available production line for gigafactory environments, the system can be adapted for different roller numbers, roller hardness levels, operating speeds, and winding concepts to match customer demands. The production solution features the Company’s patented all-in-one process for dry electrode manufacturing (US12136727, US12237494, US12334534, US12418017).
The MEODEO™ multi-roll calendaring solution allows for processing of electrode at up to 850 mm in width. Despite its full production capabilities, the system maintains a compact footprint and can operate at speeds of up to 150 m/min, maximizing the value that DBE can bring to lithium-ion battery manufacturing and enabling solid-state and thick cathode manufacturing solutions.
“We have designed this next-generation production line based on market demands, and particularly the need to achieve the high speed, yields and uptime for dry cathodes, including NMC and LFP. With this demonstration system, we are closing the gap between breakthrough R&D and industrial execution – and our Development Center is where that transformation becomes tangible,” states Brandon Babe, President, Matthews Engineering.

An integrated development ecosystem

With its deep expertise in rotary manufacturing and tooling solutions for web-based materials, Matthews Engineering supports the development of efficient and scalable production workflows across the energy sector. From dry electrode processing and separator film production to bipolar plate embossing and membrane coating, the Development Center integrates laboratory, pilot, and mass-production-scale equipment into a modular system architecture.
“For dry battery electrode processes in particular, our test infrastructure covers the entire equipment spectrum — from laboratory-scale systems like our GK300L to full-size, industrial production lines, namely MEODEO,” says Frank Bogenstahl, Sr. Director and Global Head of Sales for Matthews Engineering’s Energy business. “This enables complete process-chain simulation, precise parameter validation across all scale levels, and the one-to-one transfer of validated process windows into customer production environments. That end-to-end scalability is a key technical differentiator of our Development Center.”
The newly established Development Center in Vreden is seamlessly integrated into Matthews Engineering’s broader innovation network, including specialized coating and separator film development capabilities, where high-speed battery separator film coating lines achieve consistent quality at speeds of up to 400 m/min. State-of-the-art dry rooms with humidity control below 1% RH and cleanroom standards enable reliable testing of moisture-sensitive materials.
“We invite our partners, customers, and research institutions to leverage the Vreden Development Center and everything connected to it as a platform for collaboration, process validation, and dedicated testing. With the center now fully operational, we can accelerate the transition from innovation to industrial-scale production, ensuring that new energy technologies are not just designed—but proven and production-ready,” says Thomas Hackfort, Senior Vice President, Technical Managing Director, Matthews Engineering.
This collaborative, fully equipped environment provides the foundation for the official rollout of MEODEO™ while underscoring Matthews Engineering’s commitment to production-ready innovation for the global energy transition.

Contact:
Frank Bogenstahl
Senior Director – Global Head of Sales – Energy
Phone: +49 2564 125 16
E-Mail: Frank.Bogenstahl@matw.com