Guangdong major hub for power banks

Power bank from Rexpower

Guangdong province’s rich supply chain for electronic products and related accessories and peripherals has helped transform the area into China’s major sourcing center for power banks. In particular, makers are benefiting from its status as the country’s largest manufacturer of lithium batteries. In 2010, total output of the latter hit $2.4 billion, representing more than 50 percent of the nation’s aggregate yield. Guangdong exported 354.6 million units in the first nine months of 2011, or 39 percent of China’s outbound shipments.

There are currently more than 500 makers in the province, most of which also offer power supplies and lithium batteries, the key components of power banks. The cities of Shenzhen and Dongguan are the loci of development and production activities, with the first accounting for about 70 percent of the manufacturing base. The others are found in Guangzhou and Zhongshan.

Guangdong Pisen Electronics Co. Ltd, Shenzhen Yoobao and Shenzhen Hali-Power are among the province’s top players. Easy access to materials and components enables Guangdong-based power bank makers to reduce production costs. Because of this, numerous enterprises have set up component sourcing departments in the area.

There are various battery suppliers in Guangdong, including China Bak, Shenzhen B&K, Dongguan Shanshan, Dongguan Amperex and Mcnair. They offer Li-ion and Li-polymer variants, allowing power bank manufacturers to diversify selections. Battery cells from foreign providers such as Samsung and Sanyo are likewise available. Some enterprises can produce the component in-house.

Power management, protection and control ICs are also in rich supply. These are typically obtained from international companies such as Atmel, Texas Instruments or Intersil, which have branches in the province. Technical cooperation is possible given the close proximity of local and foreign players.

Aside from an established raw material and component network, Guangdong plays host to various service providers. The area has many third-party design houses that offer circuit architecture and solutions.

Guangdong’s status as the largest consumer electronics base in China puts it at the center of R&D trends. With this advantage, suppliers of power banks in the province are able to develop units that meet the requirements of the latest devices. Companies can upgrade selections within a month.

Some makers, however, prefer inland provinces to Guangdong, citing the high labor cost in the latter. To lower overhead, several have moved to emerging hubs such as Sichuan province.

Some manufacturers in Guangdong are seeing a drop in profits as a result of climbing material outlay. Foreign providers of lithium carbonate increased rates by 20 percent, prompting local suppliersof the material to raise costs by 5 percent.

The influx of more players has intensified rivalry and resulted in thinner margins. To remain competitive, makers have decreased prices of entry-level products to $10 or below. Mainstream models go for $15 to $30.

A strengthening yuan and inflation have likewise eroded profits.

Various types of power banks

The selection from Guangdong makers consists of single-function and universal types. The first caters to the iPhone or iPad, while variants under the other category are compatible with electronic devices such as handheld game consoles, MP3/MP4 players, GPS and tablet PCs.

In terms of chemistry, there are Li-ion and Li-polymer types. Targeted at the midrange and upscale segments, the latter kind provides higher capacity and are more compact than Li-ion versions. Power banks that adopt solar panels for emergency charging are also offered.

To enhance safety features, makers integrate protection against short-circuit, are and overcurrent, and -charging and -discharging. Most companies source the power management and protection ICs overseas, although some have in-house circuit design and assembly capability to produce them. Smaller players turn to third-party design partners for the circuitry.

ABS and PC are commonly used for the cabinet. High-end models employ pure or alloyed aluminum.

Demand for power banks has increased amid the growing popularity of smartphones, which consume more energy than traditional mobile phones.

Related reports:
Mobile phone batteries: Li-ion units secure production lead
Mobile phone chargers: Micro-USB models on the rise

SUPPLIER PROFILES

Carit International Ltd
Year established: 2010
Head office location: Hong Kong
Key export product: Power banks
Annual export sales: More than $50mn
Total monthly capacity: 200,000 units
Average monthly exports: 100,000 units
Export ratio: 50%
Annual R&D spending: $1mn

Model: PMC-220 Razor
MOQ: 200 units
Delivery: 2 days
Description: For mobile phones; 2,200mAh capacity; microSD card slot; ultraslim, lightweight; brush metal cover; gray, brown, blue, pink, silver

Cham Battery Technology Co. Ltd
Year established: 2003
Head office location: Shenzhen, Guangdong
Key export product: Power banks
Annual export sales: $10.1mn to $50mn
Total monthly capacity: 70,000 units
Average monthly exports: 60,000 units
Export ratio: 85.7%
Annual R&D spending: $1mn
Major customers: Best Buy, BMZ, Bosch, Honeywell, LG Electronics, Yamada

Model: ST-PR-1S
MOQ: 500 units
Delivery: 5 days
Description: For iPhone, iPod, Samsung P1000, BlackBerry mobile phones; 7,800mAh capacity; 5V 1A input; 4.6 to 5.25V/2.1A USB, 4.75 to 5.25V/1A or 4.6 to 5.25V/2A USB output; 75x75x27mm

Dongguan Greenway Battery Co. Ltd
Year established: 2005
Head office location: Dongguan, Guangdong
Key export product: Power banks
Annual export sales: $10.1mn to $50mn
Total monthly capacity: 10,000 units
Average monthly exports: 5,000 units
Export ratio: 50%
Annual R&D spending: $800,000

Model: EB-04
MOQ: 5 sets
Delivery: 7 days
Description: For digital communication products; 5,000mAh capacity; 5V 1,000mA; 10hr charging time; 76x137.7mm

Dongguan Tecyea Electronics Ltd
Year established: 2003
Head office location: Dongguan, Guangdong
Key export product: Power banks
Annual export sales: $10.1mn to $50mn
Total monthly capacity: 110,000 units
Average monthly exports: 82,500 units
Export ratio: 75%
Annual R&D spending: $5mn
Major customer: Amazon

Model: TY1000
MOQ: 1,000 units
Delivery: 25 days
Description: For iPad, iPhone, iPod, various mobile devices; 11,000mAh capacity at 3.7V; 5V/2A input; 5V/1A output; ABS+PC with UV coating; 99x93x29mm; 285g; CE, RoHS, FCC

E-Link Technology Co. Ltd
Year established: 2008
Head office location: Shenzhen, Guangdong
Key export product: Power banks
Annual export sales: $1.01mn to $5mn
Total monthly capacity: 200,000 units
Average monthly exports: 20,000 units
Export ratio: 10%
Annual R&D spending: $500,000

Model: el-ip4-05
MOQ: 100 units
Delivery: 7 days
Description: 5,600mAh capacity; 5VDC/1A input; 5VDC/1,500mA output; 37.5x27x65mm; 90g

Forever Young Technology Co. Ltd
Year established: 2005
Head office location: Shenzhen, Guangdong
Key export product: Power banks
Annual export sales: $5.01mn to $10mn
Total monthly capacity: 70,000 units
Average monthly exports: 50,000 units
Export ratio: 71%

Model: Fly-S1000
MOQ: 200 units; 500 units OEM with logo; 1,000 units OEM customizable packaging
Delivery: 20 days
Description: For iPad, iPhone, iPod, BlackBerry mobile phones, smartphones, PDAs; 5,000mAh capacity; 5V; 1A output current; Li-polymer battery; black, white, red, pink, yellow, blue, gray; 99x70x15mm; 145g

Guangdong Pisen Electronics Co. Ltd
Year established: 2003
Head office location: Shenzhen, Guangdong
Key export product: Power banks
Annual export sales: Less than $1mn
Total monthly capacity: 500,000 units
Average monthly exports: 10,000 units
Export ratio: 2%
Annual R&D spending: $5.01mn to $10mn

Model: TS-D026
MOQ: 1,000 units
Delivery: 30 days
Description: 2,500mAh capacity; short-circuit, overcharge, -current protection; LED indicator; UV coating

Hyper Power Holdings Ltd
Year established: 2000
Head office location: Zhongshan, Guangdong
Key export product: Power banks
Annual export sales: $1.01mn to $5mn
Total monthly capacity: 10,000 units
Average monthly exports: 8,000 units
Export ratio: 80%
Annual R&D spending: $1mn

Model: HP4000A
MOQ: 500 units
Delivery: 30 days
Description: 4,500mAh Li-polymer capacity; 5.5V/120mA solar panel, 5V/800mA Micro-USB input; 5V/1,500mA USB output; overcharge, short-circuit protection; 0.06W LED flashlight; LED power indicator; CE, RoHS

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