Greater China is already one of the world’s largest producers of lithium battery. But the regions makers are poised to ramp up production as buyers demand for inexpensive but reliable batteries for handheld electronic devices.
What you’ll get:
- In-depth profiles for 29 manufacturers with a comprehensive and up-to-date look at their manufacturing capability, QC/QA processes, pricing strategy and more. Based on factory visits and personal interviews with senior managers, this information is not available anywhere else
- Profile tables of 33 additional makers highlight key sourcing information including company background, target market, R&D focus and product certification
- The results of Global Sources’ latest supplier survey, forecasting price, product, production and R&D trends for the next 12 months

Executive Summary:

Greater China is one of the largest manufacturing centers for lithium batteries. Mainland China accounts for 16.9 percent and Taiwan for 5.6 percent of worldwide production.

Greater China makers produce primary (non-rechargeable) and secondary (rechargeable) lithium batteries. Some of the lithium battery makers in the region produce lithium battery cells — the basic component of a battery or battery pack. These makers are large-scale companies that also supply battery cells to other lithium battery manufacturers.

The following are some of the key findings in the report:
•  Production of rechargeable lithium batteries in mainland China is expected to rise by 11 percent from 950 million units in 2006 to 1 billion units in 2007, according to the China Industrial Association of Power Sources (CIAPS).
•  Most manufacturers plan to increase their production by up to 50 percent in the next two years. Even those already running at full capacity will further expand output.
•  The majority of makers were not affected by Sony’s battery recall in early 2006. The incident has instead brought on more business, which is expected to climb steadily in the coming years.
•  More suppliers will gradually begin manufacturing Li-polymer batteries. As soon as Li-polymer prices drop to Li-ion levels, mass replacement can happen due mainly to advantages such as easier form factor customization and higher capacity and safety.
•  The automotive sector, in particular, will continue to attract more attention from lithium battery manufacturers. Hybrid electronic vehicles (HEVs) are most likely to emerge as the automotive industry’s near-term response to demand for greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions.
•  Small-sized lithium batteries used in most handheld consumer electronics are expected to remain mainstream in the next several years. The most popular variety is the 3V manganese battery in coin form factor, typically used in MP3 players, digital cameras, mobile DVD players and PDAs.
•  The growing popularity of lithium batteries is expected to bring down prices between 20 percent and 50 percent in the coming months. This, however, will be offset by the battery recalls, which are expected to drain short-term supply, at least in the laptop segment.

This report contains the following sections:

Industry Background discusses the lithium battery industry in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. It talks about the major manufacturing bases in the region, industry drivers and challenges, and export markets of the surveyed companies.

Manufacturing Capabilitylooks into the key production processes of the companies surveyed in this report. This section describes makers’ capacity utilization, number of production lines and employees, the size of their facilities and important production inputs.

Products and Prices features information on the latest product trends and top areas of application. It discusses the R&D focus of interviewed makers and factors affecting price trends.

Outlook gives projections and forecasts of production, exports and prices in the next six to 12 months. It discusses major trends and issues that will likely affect the future market.

The Supplier Profiles section provides a comprehensive description of the manufacturing capabilities, quality standards and product development of 29 of the 62 companies included in the report. It also contains 86 export models, each with product details and key specifications. The

Supplier Tables section features tabular outlines of production and export capabilities, as well as R&D and QC facts, of 33 other surveyed companies. To prepare this report, Global Sources research teams toured the factories of 29 lithium battery manufacturers and interviewed top level executives who discussed their respective companies’ performance in 2006 and forecasts for 2007.

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