CellBlock FCS

"Before Klear, we were looking maybe two or three weeks ahead because we didn't know if we were going to have the capital to buy the sheet metal. Now we're looking 10, 12, 15 weeks ahead."

Jordan Trafford, Chief Operating Officer & VP of Engineering, CellBlock FCS

About CellBlock FCS

CellBlock FCS has been making lithium-ion batteries safer to store, ship and handle since 2017. It started inside Cornerstone Architectural Products, where the team found that a glass aggregate used in place of sand could extinguish battery fires. That discovery became CellBlockEX, and a mission built around it: engineer fire containment that saves lives.

Today CellBlock covers the full battery life cycle, with fire containment for charging, storage, transport and disposal, from battery cabinets and cases to hazmat drums, recall packaging and fire blankets. Every product is tested past what current standards require. Automotive, micro-mobility, electronics, aviation and recycling companies rely on it, and CellBlock is expanding into defense, mining and marine. It ships to 123 customers, from defense primes to local fire departments.

The Challenge: a mixed customer base and a two-week capital plan

Half of CellBlock's orders come from large, S&P-rated buyers. The other half come from smaller buyers like fire departments, who recognize a problem and need product now.

• Without certainty on cash, production planning looked only 2–3 weeks ahead.
• Production quoted at a 32-week best guess, and some customers waited a year or more to order.
• Trade shows and certifications meant delaying production, opening a rift between engineering, production, sales and marketing.
• Standard PO financing focuses on brand-name buyers and offers little for the other half of the order book.

"If you look at standard PO financing, they're really fixated on the larger companies, the S&P rated companies, the brand name companies. And they kind of offer nothing for the little guys. That's really where Klear has shined."

Jordan Trafford, COO & VP of Engineering

The Solution: Capital Intelligence™ mapped to every production step

Klear started with visibility. CellBlock populated the platform with its production routings, the timeline for every cut, bend and hardware purchase, so it can see when cash goes out and when it comes back.

• Routings, not spreadsheets. Eight units a week can mean eight customers and up to 150 routings. They go straight into Klear instead of a spreadsheet explained to a funder.
• Automated inputs. Every accepted sales order flows into Klear automatically.
• Working capital across the full customer mix. Invoice advances and supplier payments fund orders from defense primes and fire departments alike.
• Global payments in the same system. With KlearFX, international customers pay CellBlock inside Klear, against the same orders and invoices.

Feature Spotlight: KlearFX for international customers

CellBlock's customers aren't only in the U.S. Before KlearFX, international buyers had to route payments through intermediary banks CellBlock wasn't set up for. KlearFX brings global payments and foreign exchange into the same platform CellBlock uses to run its orders.

• Two steps, no workarounds. International customers pay CellBlock directly, with no intermediary banks or mailed checks.
• Paid in their currency. Buyers can pay in local currency, and CellBlock can hold the balance and convert when it makes sense.
• Tied to the order. Cross-border payments land against the same orders and invoices in Klear, so AR, AP and FX stay on one ledger.
• Sized for global buyers. With 130+ currencies and transparent FX quotes, a Maine manufacturer can sell like a global one.

"We are this little guy doing business with these huge international companies. It's simple to send and receive money. It puts up the appearance that we are bigger than we are. Now it's simple. It's two steps and we're done."

Jordan Trafford, COO & VP of Engineering

The Results: more output, shorter lead times, a record order

• Revenue up 7x since starting Klear PO financing
• Weekly output doubled, from 6–8 to 12–15 units
• Quoted production lead time cut from 32 weeks to 16
• Production planning horizon extended from 2–3 weeks to 15 weeks
• $7.51M in purchase orders managed on Klear
• $851K record order
• $2.17M in invoice advances and supplier payments deployed

"Working with Klear has allowed us to go back to these large companies, accept terms that may be 30 or 45 days longer, and take the larger order without involving a purchaser or getting a deposit, which has directly increased the sales we've seen in the past couple of months."

Cameron Trafford, Director of Business Operations, CellBlock FCS

Why It Matters

America is reindustrializing. Defense spending is climbing, and the drones, aircraft, ships and submarines it pays for rely on lithium-ion batteries. Investment pours into the batteries on the front end and the recyclers on the back end. Far less reaches the layer in between: the safety systems that let those batteries be built, stored and shipped without putting people and programs at risk.

That safety layer, and the aerospace and defense supply chain it protects, depends on suppliers like CellBlock. And Capital Intelligence™ gives them a clear view of cash across every order, from defense primes to local fire departments, so they can build ahead of demand and keep pace with the mission.

"This is a long-term solution. This isn't the quick Band-Aid." - Jordan Trafford, COO & VP of Engineering

Download the CellBlock FCS story here