Li-ion copper foil | Xin Borui article comes from: Hi-Tech Li-ion Power Grid
221-2-21 11:54:39 Reading: 162
Compared with hundreds of GWh power batteries, the rapid release of high-quality lithium-ion copper foil is more urgent.
driven by the continuous increase of downstream sales of new energy vehicles and the growth of demand in consumer markets such as 5G base stations, the domestic mainstream lithium battery copper foil enterprises are full of orders and have started capacity expansion modes.
however, due to factors such as core production equipment and process accumulation, the expansion period of lithium battery copper foil is long, and it is difficult to release it quickly, which makes it difficult to fill the demand gap in the short term.
under this circumstance, Jiangxi xinborui technology co., ltd. (referred to as xinborui), a new enterprise of lithium battery copper foil, has broken the dilemma of this industry. Since the company started production in September last year, it has achieved over-production and stable production, and its product performance has reached the level of Changchun, Taiwan Province, creating a "miracle" in the industry.
during the spring festival, the head power battery enterprises are still producing at full capacity, and at the same time, many power battery enterprises, including the head battery enterprises, are also accelerating their capacity expansion. It is expected that the domestic power battery capacity will be released in a centralized way in 221, which will generate strong demand for raw materials for upstream lithium batteries.
in the face of the continuous increase of downstream demand, the upstream lithium battery copper foil has been in short supply and the price of products has increased, and the supply of high-end lithium battery copper foil is particularly tight.
As a "dark horse" in the lithium battery copper foil industry, Xinborui aims at accelerating the market demand of lithium battery copper foil with a scale of 1 billion in the future, or it will become a variable in the future competition pattern of lithium battery copper foil market.
It runs out of the industry's "acceleration" in a stable way when it is turned on
Compared with lithium batteries, the manufacturing process of lithium-ion copper foil is also very complicated, which requires even higher precision and performance of production technology and equipment.
affected by many factors, such as production equipment supply, plant construction, equipment selection, technology precipitation, staff training, production line debugging, etc., the expansion period of lithium battery copper foil is generally as long as 1-2 years.
the difficulty and long production cycle directly lead to the slow release of new capacity of lithium battery copper foil, and the pace of capacity release at the supply end is slower than the growth rate at the demand end. It is expected that the demand gap of high-end lithium battery copper foil will still be difficult to make up in the short term.
from the start of construction in June, 219 to the start of production and shipment in September, 22, Xinborui successfully produced qualified copper foil products in the equipment debugging stage, and achieved a steady increase in production capacity from October to December, successfully supplying downstream customers, becoming the first case in the industry.
"The company produced more than 6 tons of qualified products in September 22, and the output rose rapidly from October to December, and the cumulative production delivered nearly 1, tons of lithium-ion copper foil, reaching a state of over-production and stable production." Huang Guohe, general manager of Xinborui, told Gaogong Lithium Battery that thanks to the company's early scientific planning and layout, advanced technology and production control, Xinborui achieved smooth and stable production as soon as it was put into production, breaking the dilemma of long production cycle of new capacity in lithium battery copper foil industry.
generally speaking, after a new copper foil enterprise is successfully put into production, its products will be verified and tested for at least half a year, and the performance indicators will be mature and stable before being supplied to battery enterprises in batches.
At the same time, due to the small initial capacity rules, newly-established copper foil enterprises mainly enter the supply chain of downstream battery enterprises through intermediary traders, and the overall market development process is relatively slow.
xinborui has produced 6μm lithium-ion copper foil that meets the standard since the first green foil machine sent electricity to produce foil in September last year, which has solved the problems such as bubble sand, edge tearing, wrinkles and broken tape in the initial stage of copper foil production, thus gaining the recognition of downstream battery enterprises.
it is reported that due to the lack of production capacity, copper foil enterprises with heads are looking for copper foil enterprises to do OEM production to ease the delivery pressure. Xinborui's production technology and product quality have also been recognized by the head copper foil enterprises, supplying high-end customers for its OEM production.
"At present, our end customers account for 6%-7%, and the direct supply of battery enterprises, mainly the product performance, has been recognized by battery enterprises." Huang Guohe pointed out that under the dual effects of strong demand in the downstream market and short supply of high-quality copper foil in the upstream, head power battery enterprises are actively looking for high-quality copper foil production capacity, which provides a good opportunity for Xinborui to enter the supply chain of head battery enterprises in the later stage.
at present, the lithium copper foil produced by xinborui is mainly 6μm, accounting for about 6%, which is mainly used in the field of power batteries. At the same time, it is also producing 7 8μm products for consumer batteries, and the production line can switch to produce various specifications of lithium copper foil. The company determines production by sales, which can meet the product needs of different customers.
"With the continuous improvement of the company's production capacity, Xinborui will cooperate with more downstream battery companies to enhance the company's market competitiveness." Huang Guohe said.
The order is scheduled for the end of March, and the second phase of production capacity will be put into production soon
In January 221, the domestic new energy vehicle market continued the high-speed growth trend in the fourth quarter of last year, laying the foundation for further growth of new energy vehicle sales throughout the year.
OEMs including BYD, Chery, Chang 'an, GAC, SAIC-GM-Wuling, Weilai, Tucki and Ideality all made a good start in January, achieving a year-on-year increase in sales of new energy vehicles, driving the overall demand of the power battery industry chain to rise.
At present, due to the full orders of many power battery enterprises, the production line is in a state of full production and scheduling, and the demand for lithium battery copper foil is greatly increased. At present, most mainstream copper foil manufacturers are in a state of full production, and the supply of high-quality products, especially products with a thickness of 6μm or less, is in short supply.
under this circumstance, xinborui's lithium battery copper foil business has also been further accelerated, and it is expected to make a greater breakthrough in 221.
"At present, the company's orders have been placed until the end of March, and it will continue to produce during the Spring Festival, and it is in a state of full production and scheduling in the first quarter." Huang Guohe said that in 221, the company will continue the stable production trend of last year. At present, the supply of products is in short supply, and at present it is mainly facing the pressure of serious shortage of production capacity.
in order to further meet the market demand and enhance competitiveness, on the basis of ensuring stable production and delivery of products, the second phase of Xinborui project will be put into operation in September this year, and the new production capacity will be released in the fourth quarter.
"After the second phase of the project is put into production, the company will have an annual production capacity of 1, tons, breaking the bottleneck of the company's insufficient production capacity." Huang Guohe pointed out that Xinborui is currently accelerating capacity expansion and related product system certification. After the release of new capacity, the opportunities for cooperation between the company and head battery enterprises will further increase.
It is worth noting that copper foil enterprises are also facing some opportunities and challenges due to the continuous changes in the current market price of lithium battery copper foil and the tight supply.
with the increasing demand in the downstream market and the slow release of new production capacity, the domestic price of copper foil for lithium batteries has entered an upward channel since the end of October 22.
according to market data, the average price of 6μm and 8μm copper foil has risen to 15, yuan/ton and 89, yuan/ton respectively, which is 16% and 26% higher than that of 9,5 yuan/ton and 7,5 yuan/ton in April last year.
Huang Guohe believes that overall, the price of copper foil for lithium battery is still rising steadily, but the fluctuation of copper foil price leads to increased market risk, so Xinborui will be more cautious in taking orders, mainly taking high-quality orders to ensure product profits.