A calling followed: Kersey leaves Moses Lake port to head up Group14 plant

MOSES LAKE — Don Kersey said that, for him, the manufacturing sector holds an irresistible appeal. Kersey is the new manager of the Group14 Technologies facility under construction in Moses Lake.

“Manufacturing, I think once it gets into your system, it never goes away,” he said. “I thought it would — but about a year and a half ago, for lack of a better word, I felt this calling to get back into manufacturing,” he said.

Previously Kersey was the manager at Joyson Safety Systems before becoming executive director of the Port of Moses Lake. 

“There’s a certain controlled chaos that goes along with manufacturing that — it’s something you just feel. I need that, and I’m extremely fortunate to be at Group14,” he said. 

As plant manager, he will be in charge of Moses Lake’s Group14 facility, known as BAM-2.

“I will oversee all of the Moses Lake operations across the manufacturing, engineering and maintenance teams at BAM-2, which is currently on track to finish construction in 2024 and expected to be the world’s largest factory for advanced silicon battery materials,” he said.

    Don Kersey, the new general manager of the Group14 facility, said he’s got the manufacturing business in his system.
  

Manufacturing, no matter the product, is a challenge, but Kersey said that’s the appeal.

“There are daily goals, there are hourly goals, there are monthly goals, there are yearly goals that you have to hit — there’s, I guess, a certain rush to manufacturing,” he said. “And it’s not for everybody, but I dearly missed it. And here I am back in it again.”

Kersey said he was working in a completely different industry when he first learned about and got interested in manufacturing.

“I worked in the wine industry with Columbia Crest, Château St. Michelle,” he said. “It’s a massive winery, and you get to that production, those bottling lines. That got my interest. Then I went to Takata, at that time, I worked my way up where I was in production and I was managing assembly lines and I was managing propellent production operations. You just kind of work your way through that, and it becomes ingrained in you. You catch the bug,” he said.

Even though manufacturing businesses have some things in common, each business has its own procedures and way of doing things. Kersey said he still had some things to learn.

“You hear the proverbial phrase, drinking from a huge fire hose. This is a very, very large fire hose,” he said. “But we’ll get it done.

“A lot of it is about experience. I think my ties to Moses Lake are going to be a help as we go forward. Being a Moses Lake product will help me communicate with the citizens here, help me give back to Moses Lake that I’ve been a part of.”

When it’s finished, the Group14 facility will be manufacturing components for what its owners say is the next generation of battery technology. The company’s product is designed to replace graphite currently used in batteries with silicon, which Group14 owners said in earlier interviews will last longer and is easier to charge.

“Silicon battery technology is a powder that can blend with or replace graphite in the anode of batteries, leading to a higher performance,” Kersey said. “Basically we’re making this powder that goes into the newer batteries.” 

Manufacturers can use the Group14 product without being required to make changes to their facilities. 

The company produces about 120 tons of silicon-based battery components at its existing facility in Woodinville. The Moses Lake facility is designed to produce about 4,000 tons per year in its first phase. 

Silicon battery component production is a relatively new industry, but Kersey said he’s confident there's a market for it, both now and in the future.

“There’s so much market out there. So much market share out there is that Group14 can only grab a small portion of it,” he said.

The silicon-based technology doesn’t require changes to the products that use the batteries, either, he said. 

“It’s electric vehicles, it’s smartphones, it’s anything with a battery,” he said.

The first phase of the project will be ready for full production when construction is completed, he said.

“We’re going to hit the ground running,” he said.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com. 

    The new Group14 manufacturing plant takes shape.
  

    Crews work on walls and floors of the Group14 battery manufacturing facility in Moses Lake