Globalised layout enhances supply chain resilience and meets diversified customer demands
Battery Davos - Battery Net, November 15 (Chen Yu, Zhang Qian) From November 13 to 16, the global battery new energy industry event - ABEC 2024 | 11th China (Guangzhou) Battery New Energy Industry International Forum was held in Nansha, Guangzhou. The forum was hosted by Zhongguancun New Battery Technology Innovation Alliance and ABEC Organizing Committee, and co-hosted by Itdcw.com, Hirohida.com, Xevcar.com, Inewenergy.com and CBHA. More than 500 guests from all walks of life in the global battery new energy industry chain, including "government, industry, academia, research, finance and service" sectors, as well as end-users, attended the event. Centered around the annual theme of "Riding the Wave of Change Towards a New Era - The Chinese Power of the Battery New Energy Industry in the New Era", the event provided a platform for brainstorming, stimulating thinking, and value-based dialog and precise connections among participants through exchanges and sharing.
On the afternoon of the 14th, representatives of entrepreneurs in the new energy battery industry chain, including Pan Dangyu, Chairman of Shenzhen Highpower Technology Co., Ltd., Chen Yubi, President of Nord New Materials Co., Ltd., Jiao Junfeng, Chairman of Guangdong Jiemeng Intelligent Equipment Co, Ltd., Tian Hanrong, Chairman of Shenzhen Times High-Tech Equipment Co., Ltd. and Gao Dongbo, Chief Engineer of Shenzhen Xingyuan Material Technology Co., Ltd. were invited to participate in the Brainstorming B interactive session to discuss the topic "Globalised layout enhances supply chain resilience and meets diversified customer demands".
Host : At present, seeking new markets overseas has become a common choice for leading enterprises in the new energy battery industry. As of the first half of 2024, the total overseas investment of enterprises in China's lithium battery industry chain has reached 564.8 billion yuan. However, they are confronted with many hidden obstacles. Chinese companies in the new energy battery industry chain are facing a significant test. What strategies can they adopt to avoid the risks?
I feel very honored to be moderating this forum today, where we have such well-known entrepreneurs in the industry. The topic of Going global is of great concern to everyone, and many of you have achieved considerable success in your gloal endeavors. This exchange will include two rounds of questions-and-answers, and I hope to hear your insightful opinions.
The first round will be relatively general questions. What is the starting point for the current overseas layout of enterprises, including the layout of production capacity and export? First, please, Mr. Pan.
Pan Dangyu: Going global has become a hot topic these days. Highpower Technology, a pioneer in the Chinese battery industry, was founded in 2002. In 2003, the company achieved full export of all battery products and conducted all its business transactions in US dollars. In the first half of this year, about half of the company's business was conducted in US dollars. From the perspective of end-user brand customers, more than 80% of the Company's customers are among the world's top 500 companies and the top 10 in their respective fields. As a result, the company was listed on the Nasdaq in 2008. As China's capital market developed faster and faster, we noticed that our competitors were also benefiting and developing rapidly. The company then decided to return to the A-share market. In 2019, the company completed its privatization, in 2020, it completed its shareholding system reform, in 2021, it submitted an application for listing and was successfully listed on the main board of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2022.
Going global is both an old and new topic for Highpower Technology. Highpower Technology has always stuck to global business and is now also paying close attention to domestic business. Three years ago, we revised our customer positioning from international brands to global brands, focusing on To B business. Why emphasize going overseas? We have exchanged views with central enterprises and some experts, and there is a trend. In the past, during the reform and opening up, China was the world's factory. However, with the technological progress of enterprises and the improvement of their compliance, governance and management capabilities, the world may become the factory of China in the future. We need to be aware of this change.
The battery manufacturing industry, to which Highpower Technology belongs, is an indispensable part of the global electronics industry chain. Especially for consumer lithium-ion pouch batteries, there is a growing reliance on Chinese companies, as Japanese and Korean companies have shifted their focus to power and energy storage. So should we expand globally? From Highpower Technology's perspective, the answer is yes. We have already established a manufacturing base in Vietnam and are fully prepared. Highpower Technology has always adhered to the value of achieving customer success, solving practical problems for customers, and increasing the resilience of the supply chain. However, that doesn't mean we abandoned manufacturing in China. We are currently discussing this, manufacturing in China is absolutely essential and will be for a long time to come. We also have to respect our customers' preferences in terms of the location of production and supply. This issue should be approached gradually and carefully, realistically, without rushing for immediate results, and making adjustments as we go along.
Host: Thank you, Mr. Pan.
*Source: CBHA - Battery Net, 15 November, the author - Chen language, Zhang Qian Guangzhou Nansha reported
*Original link: https://www.itdcw.com/news/top/11151449452024.html