ABTC Prepares for Commissioning of Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Plant with Onboarding of Key Operations Team Leadership

RENO, Nev., Jan. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- American Battery Technology Company, (ABTC) (OTCQX: ABML), an American critical battery materials company that is commercializing both its primary minerals manufacturing and secondary minerals lithium-ion battery recycling technologies, has hired and onboarded key leadership members of its facility operations team to support the commissioning of the company's lithium-ion battery recycling facility.  With experiences from industry leaders such as Tesla and Panasonic, these new ABTC team members will provide key leadership for the commissioning and ramp up of operations at ABTC facilities.

Previously serving as the General Manager of Electrode Manufacturing at the Battery Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada for Panasonic Energy North America, Kevin Gagnon has joined ABTC as its Battery Recycling Plant Manager.  In his previous role, he managed a headcount of over 1,200 employees and over one million square feet of manufacturing operations with an operating budget of over $175 million per month.  Gagnon has extensive experience in commissioning and ramping first of kind manufacturing operations, building technical and operations teams, and operating world class battery manufacturing facilities.  He has over 30 years of experience in lead operations roles for companies including Honeywell, Majilite, Catalina Graphic Films, and Ashland Chemical. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics from Worchester State University and is Certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

After spending the previous five years working at Tesla leading Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) operations at the Battery Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada, Dan Lieber has joined ABTC as its Senior Manager of EHS.  Lieber is a seasoned safety leader with significant experience building teams and establishing operations for first of kind facilities at both Tesla and Georgia Pacific over the past 10 years.  He holds a Master of Science focused on Safety Sciences from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Bachelor of Science focused in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering from Oklahoma State University, and is a Certified Safety Professional.

Mike Banks, who recently worked as a Production Engineering Supervisor and Associate Manager for Tesla at the Battery Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada, has joined ABTC as its Operations Maintenance Manager.  Banks has extensive experience in the management of maintenance teams, and has worked throughout the controls, instrumentation, equipment troubleshooting, and maintenance fields. He has held leadership roles in organizations including Lyons Magnus, Coca-Cola, and Seattle Tacoma Box Company.

"We are excited to have such a talented and experienced set of operations leaders join us as we progress through the commissioning and ramp up of our first of kind facilities," stated ABTC CEO Ryan Melsert.  "In a highly competitive talent recruitment environment, it is a testament to our current team and to our corporate mission and culture that we are able to continue to attract such high caliber individuals."

ABTC's Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Pilot Plant uses its internally developed integrated first-of-kind technology and is designed to process 20,000 metric tonnes per year of feedstock to manufacture battery grade metals to be returned to the domestic battery manufacturing supply chain.  The company's universal lithium-ion battery recycling system separates and recovers each individual elemental metal, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese, from end-of-life batteries from the consumer electronics, stationary storage applications, and electric vehicle fields, as well as from defects and waste from battery manufacturing facilities.

About American Battery Technology Company

American Battery Technology Company is uniquely positioned to supply low-cost, low-environmental impact, and domestically sourced battery metals through its three divisions: lithium-ion battery recycling, primary battery metal extraction technologies, and primary resources development.

American Battery Technology Company has built a clean technology platform that is used to provide a key source of domestically manufactured critical and strategic battery metals to help meet the near insatiable demand from the electric vehicle, electrical grid storage, and consumer electronics industries. This ESG-principled platform works to create a closed-loop circular economy for battery metals that champions ethical and environmentally sustainable sourcing of critical and strategic materials.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking statements." Although the American Battery Technology Company's (the "Company) management believes that such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that such expectations are, or will be, correct. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from those anticipated. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, interpretations or reinterpretations of geologic information, unfavorable exploration results, inability to obtain permits required for future exploration, development or production, general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; fluctuating mineral and commodity prices, final investment approval and the ability to obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms or at all. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2022. The Company assumes no obligation to update any of the information contained or referenced in this press release.

SOURCE American Battery Technology Company