Inventus Power Batteries Keep Industry Powered Up

A breakthrough in one industry proves to be helpful in another.

Waiting for an organ on the transplant list is perhaps one of the most nerve-wracking things you or your family members could go through. For those with chronic heart disease, who are in need of a heart, sometimes it’s impossible to wait until one is available, and intervention is necessary. For these patients, doctors can surgically implant a heart pump. However, in order to function, the pump needs to connect to a battery pack which requires a cable that extends outside of the body. With the sole purpose to keep a human heart beating, these batteries are some of the most important in the world.

Inventus Power doesn’t take the responsibility lightly.

“Our medical business is really important to us, not just because it’s a growing market, but because of the positive impact we can make on patient outcomes,” said Derek Kane, Vice President of Americas Operations. “There’s a lot of emotion that goes along with building a power solution for a healthcare device. If one of our battery packs fails, we understand that a human’s life could be on the line.”

Integration Across Multiple Industries

Inventus Power has a long-standing history of designing and manufacturing battery packs, chargers, and power supplies for global OEMs across a wide range of portable, motive, and stationary applications. Depending on the volume or complexity needed for the power solution, Inventus Power will operate on different levels to best support its customers’ needs.

“It gives us a level of nimbleness, allowing our support of customers in nearly any industry,” Kane commented.

For example, when working on consumer electronics applications, Inventus Power will run medium- and high-speed automation lines to meet demand. When working on a medical application, products will go through a more rigorous design, testing, and validation process to meet customer requirements for quality, safety, and reliability.

In addition to the company’s broad market experience, Inventus Power is unique to the industry in several other ways.

“No one else in our industry manufacturers on a global scale,” Kane said. “We have operations in Asia, South America in Brazil, and North America. Our vertical integration also sets us apart.”

As the standard processes that make up a battery pack have matured over the last couple of decades, the industry has incorporated more smart technology. Inventus Power puts itself in a leadership position by taking ownership of all of those processes, including performing the majority of its plastic injection molding needs in-house. The company’s vertically integrated production capabilities shorten lead times and provide customers with turnkey solutions.

Diversification for Support

To support its diversified market portfolio in a more efficient manner, Inventus Power recently established two separate divisions within the company. One division is dedicated to Consumer, Commercial, and Industrial applications and covers a broad range of products. Inventus Power’s consumer applications include everything from cell phones and laptops to portable speakers and indoor/outdoor power tools. Commercially, Inventus Power supports uninterrupted power solutions and backup power options for data storage applications and cloud services. In the industrial sector, the company provides battery products for barcode and PoS readers.

The company’s healthcare products—like the heart pump battery mentioned earlier—fit under its other division which focuses on medical, military, and government applications. Supply units and charging stations for respiratory care, informatics, cardiac care, diagnostics, surgical instruments, and AED life-sustaining are some of the medical applications they support.

The company’s contributions in the military/government space are just as meaningful as the power solutions they manufacture for the healthcare sector. The development of its conformable wearable battery (CWB), a flexible, soldier-worn battery pack, significantly reduces the weight soldiers carry on a mission.

“Imagine a soldier being dropped into a 24- or 48-hour mission. Think about all the tech that soldier is armed with: walkie talkie, navigation systems, infrared goggles. These devices all need to be powered by something. Our CWB provides a lightweight, reliable power source that enables soldier mobility and lessens their load while overall increasing their mission effectiveness,” stated Kane.

Inventus Power’s CWB is also ballistically-safe. It has been tested to incur a direct shot and not flame out or blow up. This enhanced capability provides soldiers with a safer energy solution.

Expansion of Ingenuity

Participating in so many industries also gives Inventus Power the power of cross-pollination. The CWB is waterproof, which makes a lot of sense for soldiers entering several different types of territory. However, this feature also makes sense in medical applications.

“Heart pump batteries being developed today from two of the leading medical device companies are not waterproof. Typically, the patient has to put the battery pack into a waterproof pouch and cannot take a bath or swim,” commented Kane. “We’re looking to incorporate the waterproof capabilities of the CWB in our battery tech for heart pumps.”

In order to support the ever-evolving technology needs of our customers, Inventus Power invests heavily in R&D. With approximately 200 dedicated engineers focused on how best to make batteries work and last—and also exploring what comes after the lithium-ion battery, which is currently the best option on the market—the company has a few lengths of ground on its competitors.

A new facility in Tijuana, Mexico, rounds out the company’s locations in 11 countries across four continents, adding even more distance from their competition.

The next time you listen to a song on your wireless speaker, use a cordless power drill, see an AED on the wall or think about a soldier protecting your country, think Inventus Power. The company’s battery and power solutions not only help improve peoples’ quality of life, they help save lives too.