Everything of course depends on demand – but it is a large factory and I think we need a few hundred employees to get production started again, says Matthias E J Arleth to TT after Lyten announced that he has been appointed as CEO of Lyten Sweden.
But there are many positions that need to be filled, according to Arleth. And in the long term – if the market develops as he expects – more employees will be needed.
I think that 5,000 was too many for the production Northvolt had. But I am sure that it will be more than a thousand employees, certainly several thousand in the end when everything is up and running again, he says about the internal plans.
But we must proceed cautiously with as slim a team as possible and focus on achieving production with quality, he adds.
Right experience
Arleth started working as operational manager at Northvolt in the fall of 2024 and had there "a key role in the restructuring in Sweden and successfully improving production in Skellefteå", writes Lyten in a press release.
Lyten has, apart from the Sweden manager Arleth, given Marcus Danglemaier from Northvolt continued confidence as CEO for the battery factory Northvolt One. The same applies to Sami Haikala, CEO for Northvolt Labs in Västerås – a role he had at Northvolt 2022–2025.
Dennis van Schie will at the same time take on the role as purchasing manager for Lyten Sweden, based in Stockholm.
Lyten has also recruited Robert Chryc Gawrychowski as CEO for Lyten Poland in Gdansk, Poland. He has, according to Lyten, "been involved since the start of Northvolt Poland and has deep knowledge of the operations and customers".
This is a perfect team, with the right experience, says Arleth.
People want to return
The recruitment of all those needed for production will begin in earnest when it is a real situation and Lyten's acquisition of Northvolt's assets has been completed.
I think it will be in the beginning of the fourth quarter, says Arleth.
Contact has already been made with key individuals.
We have made contact with many of those who worked at Northvolt previously and have received very positive reactions. People want to return and be involved again. So I am quite positive.
Battery manufacturer Lyten has signed a binding agreement to buy the bankrupt Northvolt's assets.
Lyten is an unlisted American company, with its headquarters in San José, California. The company has, over a period of ten years, built up a production of lithium-sulfur batteries, sensors, and composite materials. Northvolt's production was about lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.
The Northvolt assets that Lyten is buying have previously been valued at around five billion dollars, according to Lyten. The price Lyten pays for the bankrupt Northvolt's assets is secret, but is made according to Lyten with existing funds in the company.
The deal must be approved by competition authorities in Sweden and Germany, as well as the EU Commission. It also requires clearance from the Inspectorate for Strategic Products (ISP).
In connection with Northvolt's bankruptcy application in March 2025, there were approximately 5,000 employees, of which around 3,000 in the battery factory Northvolt One in Skellefteå.
