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South Korean lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery manufacturers surpassed their Japanese
counterparts in terms of global market share for the first time last year.
Li-ion batteries are equipped in IT products such as laptops and mobile phones,
and Korean and Japanese companies dominate 74 percent of the global Li-ion
battery market.
Korea’s Samsung SDI and LG Chem took a 39 percent share
in the global Li-ion battery market last year and exceeded the combined market
share of Japanese manufacturers on a yearly basis for the first time, according
to a report of Japanese market researcher Techno Systems Research Monday. The
two Korean companies’ combined market share was higher than that of their
Japanese counterparts, Panasonic, Sony, and Hitachi, by four percentage points.
“Korean battery manufacturers’ business performance outstripped that of
Japanese companies as they secured price competitiveness thanks to the weak
Korean won,” Techno Systems Research explained. “In addition, Japanese companies
faced a considerable challenge in procuring components after the nation was hard
hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake”.
By individual company, Korean
companies clinched prominent growth last year. Samsung SDI took a 23 percent
share in the global market, up three percentage points from the previous year.
LG Chem’s market share gained two percentage points to 16 percent. The two
Korean battery makers expanded their market share by importing raw materials
from China to reduce manufacturing costs.
Meanwhile, Japanese battery
manufacturers’ market shares have been in gradual decline as aggressive business
strategies employed by Korean rivals put them on the defensive.
Panasonic, the number one Li-ion battery manufacturer, accounted for 24
percent of the global Li-ion battery sales last year, down two percentage points
from the previous year. Sony took an eight percent share in the global market,
down three percentage points. The combined share of three Japanese Li-ion
battery manufacturers in the global market hovered above the 50 percent mark
three years ago when the research started.
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