日經(jīng)新聞網(wǎng)消息稱，著眼于未來更廣泛的整合以及鋰離子電池材料企業(yè)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)越來越激烈，日本三菱化學(xué)和宇部工業(yè)宣布，將于明年4月合并其在中國的電解液業(yè)務(wù)。
同時(shí)，兩家公司還將建立對(duì)半持股的合資公司，并將共享專利以開發(fā)新產(chǎn)品，鞏固生產(chǎn)基地。除了在中國，三菱化學(xué)和宇部還在考慮將美國和歐洲的業(yè)務(wù)合并。
目前，兩家公司各控制了全球10%的電解液市場(chǎng)份額，并將銷售額的70億日元漲至100億日元(約合6750萬美元至9640萬美元)。三菱化學(xué)是三菱化學(xué)控股旗下的企業(yè)，其在汽車動(dòng)力電池的電解液領(lǐng)域有長(zhǎng)期的積累。宇部則專注于數(shù)碼電池的電解液，其通過電解液添加劑來提升電池性能的技術(shù)備受業(yè)內(nèi)關(guān)注。
無法忽視的一個(gè)事實(shí)是，中國企業(yè)在全球市場(chǎng)的份額正在擴(kuò)張，受到激烈的價(jià)格競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，三菱化學(xué)、宇部已經(jīng)在中國市場(chǎng)失利。
2015年，全球電解液市場(chǎng)不到1000億日元。隨著電動(dòng)汽車的崛起帶動(dòng)的需求提振，汽車制造商要求電池和材料制造商削減約30%的價(jià)格。在此背景之下，越來越多的公司可能會(huì)決定重組在中國的鋰電材料業(yè)務(wù)，如電解液和負(fù)極材料。
附日經(jīng)新聞網(wǎng)原文
Mitsubishi Chem, Ube to partner in Li-ion battery material
TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Chemical and Ube Industries will merge Chinese electrolyte operations next April, with an eye toward broader integration in the future, amid increasingly heated competition in the material used for lithium-ion batteries.
A 50-50 joint venture will be established for this purpose. Patents will be shared to develop new products, and production bases consolidated. The duo will also consider similar mergers in the U.S. and Europe later.
The companies each control 10% of the global market and ring up sales of 7 billion yen to 10 billion yen ($67.5 million to $96.4 million). Mitsubishi Chemical, a unit of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings, specializes in electrolyte for automotive batteries, while Ube focuses on electrolyte for smartphone batteries. Ube has well-regarded technology that improves battery performance through additives mixed into the electrolyte. Yet Chinese companies remain atop the global market. Hit by intense price competition, Mitsubishi Chemical and Ube have logged losses in China.
The electrolyte market amounted to less than 100 billion yen in 2015. While the rise of electric vehicles will boost demand, automakers are asking battery and material manufacturers to cut prices around 30%. More companies may decide to restructure businesses in such Chinese-dominated areas as electrolytes and anode materials.