Maxwell Technologies, Inc. has formed a manufacturing alliance with Belton Technology Group, a major Chinese manufacturer of precision components, flex circuits, circuit boards and other products, to support Maxwell's forecasted growth to multi-million-unit annual volumes for its BOOSTCAP® ultracapacitors and multi-cell modules, driven by automotive, transportation and industrial electronics applications that are advancing toward high-volume production.
Dr. Richard Balanson, Maxwell's president and chief executive officer, said that the offshore manufacturing alliance enables the company to tap into Belton's large existing factories, supply chain operations and 20,000-person skilled production workforce to ensure that Maxwell can ramp ultracapacitor production as required to keep pace with the rapidly escalating ultracapacitor demand it expects in coming years. He said that Maxwell will continue to produce its proprietary carbon powder electrode material internally and deliver it to Belton plants for assembly into finished ultracapacitor cells and modules.
"The worldwide ultracapacitor market is real, and the demand we foresee in 2007 and beyond requires large-scale production capabilities such as those Belton already has in place," Balanson said. "Belton's financial strength and its willingness to commit to making major and continuing investments in factory space, equipment and training to support our cell and module production requirements will allow us to continue concentrating our resources on research, product development and electrode capacity expansion."
Balanson noted that Maxwell recently introduced more than 30 new BOOSTCAP products based on common architecture, components and assembly processes, and is now working closely with Belton engineering and manufacturing personnel to completely shift production of those products to high-volume facilities in China by the end of 2006.
"We have been sourcing key components and materials from Belton for the past year in what we considered the initial phase of a natural progression to offshore manufacturing, and we have been more than satisfied with their responsiveness and quality-centric approach," Balanson said. "Belton has 18 years of experience in producing precision components on a scale of millions per week at Six Sigma quality levels for hard disk drives, communications equipment, implantable medical components and other extremely demanding and competitive industries."
H.P. Chan, president and chief executive officer of Belton Technology Group, said that Belton seeks to align itself as a manufacturing partner with technology leaders in their respective industries.
"We are excited about this expanded alliance with Maxwell," Chan said. "Belton's proven high-volume quality manufacturing and supply chain capabilities and Maxwell's ultracapacitor technology, product designs and worldwide marketing and distribution network will make a powerful combination."
