Highpower Technology (stock code: 001283) officially listed on the main board of SZSE

On September 5, Highpower Technology was officially listed on the main board of Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) , with stock code of 001283 and the issue price of RMB 52.19 per share. The number of new shares in the initial public offering is 20 million, accounting for 25.00% of the total capital stock after issuance, with a market value RMB 4.175 billion.

As a domestic new energy enterprise with both Li-ion batteries and Ni-MH batteries, Highpower Technology has developed a variety of battery products matrix through years of increasing R&D investment. In the past 20 years, Highpower has stepped out of the line of differentiation from domestic and foreign manufacturers. At the same time, Highpower Technology has a high reputation in domestic and foreign markets by providing one-stop power supply solutions for global brand customers.

Deeply involved in the battery industry for 20 years, creating a rich product matrix

Nowadays, consumer electronics and green electric vehicles have become an important part of modern life. Meanwhile, the gradual commercialization of concepts such as IoT, big data, cloud computing and 5G, and the rise of new generation information technologies such as VR and AI have accelerated the development of the downstream market of the battery industry.

With the commercial application of 5G, AI, IoT and other technologies, the demand for consumer electronic products in daily life and work will continue to increase, and the speed of update and iteration will continue to accelerate. In addition, with the continuous development of the new energy vehicle industry, the scale of the global Li-ion battery industry is expected to maintain a sustained and rapid growth trend.

Seeing the development trend of the battery industry, Highpower Technology was established in 2002 with the R&D, design, manufacturing and sales of Ni-MH batteries as its main business. Through years of focusing on the product demands of global brands, with advanced technology and manufacturing capabilities, on the basis of ensuring product safety, Highpower Technology has successively launched products with high capacity, low self-discharge, wide temperature and so on, and established a leading position in the field of Ni-MH batteries

According to statistics from Fuji-Keizai，the Ni-MH battery production volume of Highpower Technology in 2018 has ranked first in the global small Ni-MH battery market.

Not satisfied with its achievements in the field of Ni-MH batteries, Highpower Technology keeps up with the pace of development of technology and continues to expand the richness of our product range. In 2008, Highpower Technology started to enter the Li-ion battery field, and in 2011, began to develop Li-ion battery module business to provide power solutions for customers. In 2021, with the sales revenue of li-ion battery business has exceeded 80% of the main business revenue, Highpower Technology has become an enterprise with independent R&D capabilities and comprehensive competitiveness in the global market, able to provide customers with flexible and reliable one-stop power solutions.

Highpower Technology has now formed a series of product matrix, as twenty years focus on the research, production and marketing of Li-ion & Ni-MH batteries.

Our products include Li-polymer batteries, cylindrical Li-ion batteries and NiMH batteries. The Li-polymer batteries are mainly used in laptop and peripheral products, smart home devices, security equipment, tablet PCs, smart phones and other fields. Small Li-polymer batteries are mainly used in wearable devices and other fields. Cylindrical Li-ion batteries are mainly used in portable power station, Bluetooth speakers, mobile payment terminals, smart home devices, personal care devices, medical equipment, LEV and other fields. Ni-MH batteries are mainly used in retail, personal care devices, T-Box, lighting fixtures and other applications.

Significantly increase R&D investment year by year and strengthen talent team construction

Highpower Technology's existing multi-product matrix is the result of the company's continuous R&D investment.

The prospectus disclosed that the R&D expenses of Highpower Technology for each stage of the reporting period were RMB 110,031,300, RMB 148,191,600 and RMB 180,624,300 respectively, and the ratio of R&D investment to operating revenue in each period reached 5.31%, 5.65% and 5.44%. Highpower Technology focuses on the R&D of key material applications, as well as the development of cutting-edge technologies in the industry.

In terms of R&D facilities, Highpower Technology has built several professional pilot production workshops, covering various performance & safety testing rooms and laboratories, with many types of advanced R&D testing equipment. In terms of production, the production bases are equipped with advanced automatic production lines to continuously improve the efficiency and reliability of manufacturing. Through continuous investment in R&D, Highpower Technology has laid the foundation for the technological innovation, product development, talent introduction and training, etc. to ensure our technology accumulation while continuously improving the level of R&D in the industry.

Technology research and development is based on talents. During the reporting period, Highpower Technology's research and development expenses continued to increase, mainly due to the increase in the number of research and development personnel and the increase in per capita salary.  In each stage of the reporting period, the proportion of R&D personnel salary expenditure in R&D expenses was 68.36%, 73.38% and 70.23% respectively. Highpower Technology continues to focus on R&D investment. The number of R&D personnel at the end of each period during the reporting period was 444, 507 and 619 respectively.

As of December 31, 2021, Highpower Technology has a R&D team consisting of more than 600 people, and has obtained 280 authorized patents, including 95 domestic invention patents, 2 overseas invention patents, 173 utility model patents, and 9 domestic design patents, 1 overseas design patents, and a large number of patents pending. Rich R&D experience accumulation, technology and talent reserves have laid a solid foundation for the smooth progress of the project's R&D project. 

Highpower Technology has two testing and verification centers certified by CNAS (China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment) and DEKRA, one of which has also been approved by UL certification authority witness authorization. The company is a member of UL1642 Standard Committee, a member of IEEE, the vice chairman unit of China Industrial Association of Power Source, and the executive director unit of Association of China Rare Earth Industry.

The continuous investment and reasonable investment modes of Highpower Technology provide an endless power for the technological innovation of the enterprise.

While technological innovation enhances its competitive advantage, it also brings rich returns to its revenue generation. In each stage of the reporting period, the main business income of Highpower Technology was RMB 2,055.36 million, RMB 2,607.04 million, RMB 3,282.89 million; In the past two years, the growth rate of Highpower Technology's main business income was 26.84% and 25.92% respectively, maintaining a continuous rapid growth.

Looking forward to the future, Highpower Technology will continue to focus on the needs of the Fortune 500 and top 10 brand customers in segmented industries, increase investment in research and development of li-ion and Ni-MH battery products, and meet domestic and foreign market demands, so as to achieve stable growth.