CATL, the prominent Chinese power battery giant, has recently inaugurated a cutting-edge battery production facility in Guian New District, located in southwest China's Guizhou province. Operational since October 27, the facility boasts highly automated production lines capable of churning out an average of one cell every second.

Spanning approximately 1,435 mu (0.95 square kilometers), the production base is being constructed in two phases, with an impressive combined annual capacity of 60 GWh. The initial phase, covering around 885 mu and involving a total investment of about RMB 7 billion ($960 million), is specifically designed to produce 30 GWh of power and energy storage batteries annually.

CATL has employed advanced technology in the first phase, incorporating an automated production line with an impressive 95% automation rate. This setup enables rapid production, with the facility achieving the remarkable feat of producing one cell every second and assembling one battery pack every 2.5 minutes?from raw material input to final product output.

CATL currently holds the title of the world's largest power battery manufacturer, commanding a global market share of 36.9% between January and August, as reported by South Korean market researcher SNE Research. However, the company faced challenges in the third quarter, experiencing a decline in net profit due to heightened competition and the increased operational capacity of its peers.

In the third quarter, CATL reported a net profit of RMB 10.43 billion, reflecting a 10.7% year-on-year increase but a 4.3% decrease from the preceding quarter. The company's gross margin for this period was 22.42%, up by 0.46 percentage points compared to the second quarter but notably lower than its average gross margin of nearly 30% observed throughout 2020 and 2021.

Additionally, CATL's market share in China showed a decline, dropping to 39.41% in September, marking the first time it fell below 40% since April of the previous year, according to data from the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA).

Source: cnevpost.com