Source of this article: Times Finance Author: Xiao Qian
Editor's Note:
As the "heart" of new energy vehicles, the industrial pattern of power batteries is accelerating.
On the one hand, the head effect is still obvious, and the Ningde era and BYD firmly occupy the majority of the market. Behind the surge in battery installed capacity, in addition to the explosion of profits, there are also battery factory workers who are busy like a gyroscope. On the other hand, capital is accelerating into this track, not only the battery concept is becoming more and more fragrant, but also under the investment of car companies and technology manufacturers, the battery companies of the second and third echelons are brewing greater changes. The number of players has increased, and the robbery war between battery factories has also intensified. Under the continuous evolution of battery technology and market winds, many "university sinkhole majors" are being awakened.
From now on, the Times Finance Auto Channel launched a special topic "Battery Industry under the Outlet: A War on Money and People", and together we can see the "sword and light sword shadow" and "happy revenge" of the power battery jianghu.
"People don't stop, the company's products are in short supply, and we are as busy as gyroscopes, all about to take off." On April 28, Zhang Cheng (pseudonym), an ordinary operator in the workshop of a head power battery manufacturer, told Times Finance.
In recent years, the mainland power battery industry has developed rapidly, and the installed capacity has continued to grow. Between 2017 and 2021, China's power battery installed capacity will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 43.5%, reaching 154.5GWh in 2021. From January to March 2022, the loading volume of continental power batteries totaled 51.3GWh, an increase of 120.7% year-on-year.
In order to meet the needs of downstream car companies, power battery manufacturers led by CATL will maximize the utilization rate of existing capacity and continue to expand production and expansion projects. In this context, busyness, fatigue, and overtime are the status of most power battery practitioners. Zhang Cheng is the epitome of this.
Source | Internet
"Working 12 hours a day, very tired but with a lot of money"
"I started in the first half of 1919 and it's been almost 3 years now." Recalling his time in the company, Zhang Cheng sighed, "According to my experience, the average working time of colleagues on the assembly line is half a year to 1 year, and I am considered a 'senior' figure."
The reason why Zhang Cheng can endure hardships more than ordinary people is inseparable from his early experience. Zhang Cheng, 27, from rural Hunan, has a college degree, and before entering the battery factory, he assembled mobile phones in electronics factories, made jeans in garment factories, moved bricks at construction sites, and fought in the front line of manufacturing for many years. Although the intensity of the work in the battery factory is not small, it is not difficult for Zhang Cheng to adapt.
"Relatively speaking, the work in the battery factory is similar to the previous working hours, and the comprehensive salary is a little more." However, the work intensity is still relatively large, although the workshop is an automated assembly line operation, but our ordinary employees are basically standing work, and they are still very tired at the end of the day. ”
It is reported that the power battery production process is divided into three major sections, namely pole plate production, battery cell production, and battery assembly. Among them, pole pieces and battery cell production only part of the transfer and commissioning equipment, almost completely automated production line.
"Our automated production line, mainly looking at the machine, rarely relies on personnel operation." Zhang Cheng has been working in the battery cell production for nearly three years, and the experience accumulated in the workshop over the years has given him the opportunity to get a better job position within the company, "I will be transferred out of the headquarters to the branch after a while, to the module workshop, and then the size should be a leader."
Source | Internet
According to the information provided by Zhang Cheng, he earned a total of 130,000 yuan last year, with an average monthly income of more than 10,000 yuan, "We are 14 salaries, and we will pay bonuses twice in the middle of the year and at the end of the year, accumulating almost two to three monthly salaries, totaling more than 10,000 yuan." Moreover, there are 3 times the salary for working on holidays such as May Day, and there are gifts on special holidays such as Mid-Autumn Festival and New Year's Day."
The promotion of the position means that Zhang Cheng's salary will also change. Although he is looking forward to it, he still believes that he should first do the current things well before meeting new challenges.
"I see an opportunity for wealth freedom in the market"
"In fact, since the second half of 2020, it has been relatively busy, and the overtime in the new energy industry has always been full." On April 28, Wang Chao (pseudonym), an internal engineer of a second-echelon power battery manufacturer, told Times Finance.
Wang Chao officially entered the new energy industry in 2016 and joined the current company in early 2019, and he witnessed how the power battery industry, which was still wandering in the cold winter, has become so hot now.
"Since the beginning of last year, more and more headhunters have wanted to recruit me, but I still prefer to stay in my current company." Wang Chao said helplessly, "The new energy circle is actually very small, almost every company will have more or less former colleagues, the work is generally based on internal recommendation, headhunting is not very good."
Source | Internet
The small new energy circle reflected by Wang Chao actually refers to the high concentration of the industry. According to the "2021 China Power Battery Industry Research Report" released by the Head Leopard Research Institute last year, the concentration of China's power battery market is very high, and the share of industry concentration (CR5) has reached 83%.
It is worth mentioning that some of the positions recommended by headhunters to Wang Chao also made him move, but considering that he wanted to work in a large factory, he was a little hesitant, "The work intensity of the head factory is very large, and most of them have achieved IPO listing, the time is not short, and the upside is relatively limited."
"If it was in 2017 or earlier, it would be a good choice for the average of us, but I now think there are more opportunities for second-tier companies." Wang Chao said.
In Wang Chao's view, after the listing of the Ningde era, 9 billionaires and more multi-millionaires were directly created, and the subsequent equity incentives and rising stock prices allowed more employees to achieve wealth freedom. But as the Ningde era grew larger and more mature, this opportunity was gradually diminishing. On the contrary, in the context of the explosion of the entire industry, second-tier manufacturers such as China Innovation Airlines and Hive Energy are impacting the listing, and they can give ordinary people more opportunities to achieve wealth freedom. It is reported that Wang Chao's current company's power battery business has completed a new round of financing a few months ago, and may be prepared for listing in the near future.
Battery factories are struggling to roll
According to data from the Institute of High Industry Industry, in the first quarter of this year, the installed capacity of power batteries in the mainland was about 46.87GWh, an increase of 140% year-on-year, of which cathedale era had a market share of more than 50% by virtue of its product and scale advantages. Although the Ningde era is still in a state of one against ten, the second- and third-tier manufacturers are speeding up the pace of catching up, among which the performance of China Xinxing, Hive Energy and Sunwoda is more prominent.
"The gap in high-end production capacity in the entire industry is relatively large. CATL has gained half of the market share by virtue of its technology and product advantages, but it has no way to meet all needs, which gives us many opportunities for second- and third-tier enterprises. Wang Chao told Times Finance, "The number of orders determines the industry status of the enterprise." The current order was determined a few years ago, and now everyone is competing for future orders, but production capacity is the key to whether the order can be realized."
Ganfeng Lithium Jiangxi Xinyu Factory | The source of the picture is the official website of the enterprise
The aforementioned report of the Head Leopard Research Institute shows that under the influence of multiple factors, the market size of the new energy vehicle market will continue to expand, thereby promoting the further growth of the power market size, and it is expected that by 2025, the market size of the power battery will reach 307.38 billion yuan, which is equivalent to a 3.33 times growth on the basis of 2020.
"We have a lot of orders, but mainly limited by the previous capacity layout, as the company continues to expand and expand, the situation will slowly improve in the future." According to public information, under the expansion plan, battery companies such as CATL, BYD, AVIC Lithium Battery, and Guoxuan Hi-Tech have a planned production capacity of about 670GWh, 600GWh, 500GWh and 300GWh respectively in 2025. According to the incomplete statistics of Gaz Automobile, by 2025, the planned production capacity of local lithium battery companies in the mainland has exceeded 3TWh.