Aiming
to decrease manufacturing costs, most lithium-ion
battery companies in Taiwan have shifted
production sites to China, where human labor is cheaper.
Another tactic is to customize the batteries in order to
create additional value. Amidst the competition, E-one has
successfully put lithium-ion batteries to various applications,
and switched from the price-competitive 3C market to the
portable power tool industry. More importantly, they have
achieved great technology break-through in the production
of the lithium-ion battery. Mr. Han-Cheng Kuo, the CEO of E-ONE
Moli Energy, explains that, “Batteries for power tool usually
needs higher voltage. Batteries were most often used in the
past. Besides, the environment in which these equipment are
used are mostly high-temperature, high-convulsion. Thus,
they need batteries that are highly stable; lithium-ion batteries
almost had no play in this field.
Now, through the innovation
of battery materials and product structure, E-one uses LiMn materials,
instead of LiCd, to develop lithium-ion
batteries with higher
voltage and stability. They have successfully entered the North
American and European markets. In 2000, they took over the Canadian
NEC MOLI cylinder lithium-ion battery facility. And in 2003,
they introduced the IMR-26700 generation of high efficiency battery.
In 2005, they partnered up with renowned electrical equipment
producer, Milwaukee, to produce lithium-ion
batteries intended
for electrical equipment use. Together, they also developed a
series of wireless electrical equipment that specifically requires
that type of batteries. This new series is the first in the world
to use lithium-ion battery as a replacement of the traditional
NiCd battery.
「“Originally, E-One Moli Energy also produces lithium-ion battery intended for laptop use. However, the price
competition is too fierce in the 3C industry. At that time, our
corporation was still relatively small, so we backed out from the
competition, and switched focus to the development of lithium-ion
batteries intended for electrical equipment and e-automobiles,”
Dr. Kuo explains. The batteries development for power tool usage
needs constant cooperation and exchange of information with clients.
Molicel combined great technology expertise with the flexibility
of Taiwanese dealers. Also, they maintained great relationship
with their downstream clients. Thus, they were able to achieve
great results in the development of battery products.
Other than power tool (including electrical
skateboard, e-bike, solar-power vehicles, etc.), E-one also sees
great potential in the lithium-ion
battery industry. Currently,
the company’s lithium-ion battery production is mainly based in
Canada and Tainan Science-Based Industrial Park (Taiwan). Currently,
production can reach 700 thousand batteries a year. Their goal
is to reach production of 10 million a year in the future. As regard
to the development prospect of lithium-ion battery, Mr. Han-Cheng
Kuo believes it still has huge potentials. He reasons, “Just like
that UPS used to use lead batteries, now it is also replaceable
by lithium-ion battery. Not only so, solar powered, automobile
use, fuel batteries, and electrical batteries are all potentially
replaceable by lithium-ion batteries.
To restructure the reorganize of Taiwan’s electrical industry,
the Ministry of Production partnered up with 40 battery producers
(both upstream and downstream). Together, they founded the “Taiwan
Battery Technology Development Union” ten years ago. And by this
year’s April, the union has evolved to become “Taiwan Battery Association;
TBA. E-One is one of the key members. Being also TBA’s managing
directors, Mr. Han-Cheng Kuo states that underestimating lithium-ion
battery’s market potential by
Taiwanese dealers was the main cause for its mediocre performance. Not only so,
the investment in the market was very conservative. Thus, the production level
can be greatly amplified by the increasing cooperation of the upstream and downstream
dealers, and the restructuring of resources. He hopes that through the formation
of TBA, Taiwan’s battery industry will receive higher attention for healthy long
term growth.
2006 News
