by ALEXX ALTMAN-DEVILBISS | The National Desk WASHINGTON (TND) — Germanarcheologists found a bronze sword made more than 3,000 years ago while excavating in Noerdlingen The sword, believed to date back to the end of the 14th century B.C., was so well-preserved it "almost still shines," according to Bavaria's state officefor the preservation of historical monuments The Bavarian office said the sword was discovered in a grave where three people -- a man a woman and a boy -- were buried with rich bronze goods It is not clear whether the three were related to each other The office added that it is unusual to find swords from the period but they have been discovered in burial mounds that were opened in the 19th century or as individual finds The technology company with headquarters in Ellwangen in southern Germany is expanding its production area in Bavaria to a total of 60,000 square meters sees the expansion as an important step in the company's growth strategy and as a contribution to securing Germany as a location for battery technology For Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger Varta's showcase project secures Bavarian added value in a strategic key technology Varta AG opened its new lithium-ion cell factory at the Nördlingen site on Monday which offers a total of 15,000 square meters of production space on two floors was inaugurated in the presence of the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Hubert Aiwanger and Herbert Schein The new building is an important step for Varta in its growth strategy the company now has a production area totalling 60,000 square meters in Nördlingen and thus the infrastructure for further growth New customer orders are already running in on-site production Varta mainly produces the small lithium-ion cells that are used in Premium True Wireless Stereo Headsets (TWS) enable applications such as noise cancelling or voice control to be integrated into Bluetooth headsets that can be worn wirelessly in the ear With the ultra-high-performance cell called V4Drive the company has just presented a product that can be used in the home & garden and automotive sectors The interest in this lithium-ion round cell in the 21700 format on the customers’ side is high due to the special product properties The cell can be fully charged in just six minutes it remains efficient even at low temperatures Production of this cell on a pilot line in Ellwangen will start at the end of the year Also interesting: Varta: Focussing on larger battery formats The new three-story building in Nördlingen includes the production area as well as the new Varta restaurant for the employees at the site was designed and built with climate-friendliness in mind Production will be CO2 neutral in the next two years the waste heat from the machines is used to air-condition the building and the drying rooms in production See also: Varta and Allgäu Batterie partner up for lithium-ion battery packs Looking to stay on top of all relevant industry and business news? Click here to subscribe to our free twice-weekly pv Europe newsletter. A podcast for investors on the opportunities and risks of the solar market The pv Europe editorial team offers their own analysis and discusses current topics with experts.