DETROIT, Aug 12 (Reuters) - A factory jointly owned by General Motors ( GM ) and LG Energy Solution in northeast Ohio is scheduled to restart production of battery cells next week after a seven-month shutdown. 

On Monday, a majority of laid-off workers will resume making batteries at the Ultium Cells joint-venture plant, Tom Gallagher, vice president of operations for Ultium, said in an interview.

In total, 1,400 will be working at the facility. 

The company ceased battery-cell production there in January because of a drop in consumer demand for electric vehicles. 

-- The other GM and LG JV plant, in Tennessee, now makes energy storage system batteries instead of EV batteries.

-- Earlier this week, battery manufacturer Samsung SDI purchased GM's stake in the joint venture the companies had formed to make EV battery cells at an under-construction Indiana plant.