Sanyo Alters Strategy to Stay Atop Rechargeable Battery Business

摘要

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of small rechargeable batteries, plans to remain aggressive in FY2004 so it can expand its battery business. Global demand for small rechargeable batteries in FY2003 increased about 30 percent from the previous year. Although there was uncertainty in the first quarter about how demand would play out for batteries used in mobile phones, the biggest battery market, business picked up rapidly starting in the second quarter. The global market for small, rechargeable batteries grew steadily based on demand for high-performance lithium ion batteries. However, prices fell amidst fierce competition from Chinese and Korean manufactures. The competition affected pricing. While unit sales of lithium ion batteries increased more than 70 percent, the value of those sales grew a little more than 50 percent. Based on value, the growth rate of the entire small rechargeable batteries market appears to be somewhere around 7 percent.