Industry News for Business Leaders

Energy: Acculon, Rockwell and Circulor, Together on Traceability

Advanced battery systems producer Acculon Energy is teaming up with Rockwell Automation and Circulor to offer traceability in its energy storage solutions. (Courtesy of Acculon Energy)

by Abigail Saltmarsh

December 8, 20257 minsUpdated on December 8, 2025

Advanced battery systems producer Acculon Energy is teaming up with Rockwell Automation and Circulor to offer traceability in its energy storage solutions.

In a hurry? Here are the key notes to know:

Acculon teams up with Rockwell Automation and Circulor: The three companies are integrating digital tools and a mature traceability platform to provide end-to-end visibility of raw materials and battery production.
Meeting rising regulatory pressure: The partnership enables tracking of critical minerals—lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite—along with their carbon footprints, supporting compliance with new rules such as the EU Battery Regulation and enabling the creation of digital battery passports.
Pioneering sodium-ion traceability: As Acculon ramps up from pilot to full production, the companies plan to trace the sodium-ion supply chain for the first time, paving the way for first-of-its-kind work in this emerging battery technology.

The U.S.-based manufacturer of sodium-ion and lithium-ion batteries is integrating Rockwell’s digital solutions with Circulor’s traceability platform. The objective is to provide greater transparency and accountability in its supply chains.

The partnership will enable end-to-end visibility of critical minerals. These inclide lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite, and their associated carbon footprints, throughout a battery’s lifecycle.

The move addresses mounting global regulatory requirements, while supporting Acculon’s commitment to responsible sourcing and environmental stewardship. Acculon was helped in its formation with outside investment from a major global OEM called Terex. Its most visible piece of equipment is a scissor lift, called a Genie. According to Andrew Thomas, one of the founders and the CEO of the company:

“From the very first day that we were formed, Terex said, while you are tasked with developing a global product line of lithium and sodium ion batteries for our equipment, start thinking today that you will have to figure out how to be cost competitive and comply with regulations in the U.S., in Europe and Indonesia. So that started us very early on thinking about how we were going to do this – and that had us making a connection with Rockwell and Circulor.”

The Future Of Industry

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Acculon Energy designs and manufactures advanced battery modules and packs, specializing in lithium and sodium chemistries.

“We are a manufacturer of battery modules, battery packs and battery racks of energy. Our company is focused on what we call the future of industry,” Mr. Thomas explains. “So this looks at the kind of stationary energy needs that are driven by data centers, hospitals, large energy consumers, the electrification of primarily off-highway vehicles – forklifts, golf carts, construction equipment applications.”

In space and defense, they are designing, validating and building batteries for communication satellites.

Embedding Traceability

Based in the U.K., supply chain traceability provider Circulor offers technology software solutions to trace raw materials to finished products.

the company is already collaborating with Rockwell to offer traceability for the auto, tire, and battery industries. It will now work with Acculon by embedding traceability from cell selection through production.

Rockwell’s current role will be to support Acculon through its lifecycle services offering and digital consulting business.

Digital Battery Passports

According to the International Energy Agency, by 2030, the global demand for lithium-ion batteries is expected to increase more than five times. Mr. Thomas said that with soaring demand for energy storage, there is also a growing need for manufacturers to provide greater transparency and accountability in their supply chains.

Along with the need to trace critical minerals and reduce environmental impact, new regulations, including the EU Battery Regulation, have to be met. The solutions, which will be deployed at Acculon’s Ohio facility, will also support the creation of digital battery passports for a variety of commercial and industrial applications.

“We are just beginning our transition from doing pilot production to full series production in the first quarter. “I think the next steps for us are actually just running through the Circulor standard program. So they have at this point, in my opinion, a pretty defined process, and we start to supply data to them on who we source from and then it cascades down the line.”

First-of-a-Kind Activities

The growing potential of sodium-ion as an alternative cell technology is exciting for Acculon and will be an interesting field for Circulor and Rockwell as well, according to Mr. Thomas. This is likely to involve embedding traceability through the sodium-ion supply chain for the first time.

“It’s going to take more work but it will be more valuable because we will be there – and we will be there doing it first. We are going to be doing some first-of-a-kind activities.”