Chinese battery maker Sunwoda is expanding its lithium-ion battery plant in Vietnam, a move that may lead to increased orders for its separator supplier, SK IE Technology (SKIET).
On April 17, authorities in Bac Giang Province confirmed that Sunwoda will invest an additional $22.5 million to expand its production and assembly facility in the Vân Trung Industrial Park. An environmental impact assessment is underway and will continue through April 18.
With this new investment, Sunwoda’s total capital in the plant will reach $30.2 million. The company plans to more than double its annual battery production from 6.55 million to 15.5 million units. It also aims to boost its workforce from 250 to 350 employees. The plant will additionally produce 6.65 million battery management units (BMUs) annually. These batteries will be used in smartphones, tablets, laptops, Bluetooth earphones, and other consumer electronics.
Sunwoda is building a large-scale manufacturing base in Vietnam, centered around Bac Giang. In July 2023, the company announced a $300 million investment in the Yên Lư Industrial Park in the same province, aiming to create around 5,000 new jobs and generate approximately $1 billion in annual revenue.
The company’s production scale-up is fueling optimism for SKIET, which supplies separators for both IT and EV battery applications. In 2023, SKIET and Sunwoda signed a memorandum of understanding to expand their collaboration, marking the beginning of SKIET’s supply of separators for electric vehicle batteries.
Founded in 1997 in Shenzhen, Sunwoda manufactures lithium-ion batteries for a wide range of products, including consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems (ESS). Its key clients include Apple, Xiaomi, Geely, Dongfeng, Volkswagen, and Volvo. Sunwoda operates production facilities in China, Vietnam, India, and Hungary.
