Integer announced today that it recently broke ground on an expansion of its Alden, N.Y., facility to accommodate new equipment that will substantially increase the plant’s production capacity for rechargeable Xcellion lithium-ion batteries.

The project kicked off in mid-December 2020 and will add both production equipment and a build-out of Integer’s existing facility. The company expects to complete the expansion in 2021, followed by the installation and qualification of new, state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, according to a company news release.

The Xcellion lithium-ion rechargeable batteries produced in Alden power implantable pulse generators (IPGs) and other medical devices for use by Integer’s cardiac and neuromodulation customers. These devices deliver therapies such as spinal cord stimulation, deep brain stimulation and left ventricular assist device treatments, as well as power external sound processing units for cochlear applications.

“Integer continues to make strategic investments to advance our state-of-the-art battery technology and increase capacity to support our customers’ needs,” said Joel Becker, president of Integer’s cardiac rhythm management and neuromodulation business. “This expansion will increase battery cell production capacity related to neuromodulation and cochlear applications.”