Sony Corporation today announced plans to establish a lithium-ion polymer battery plant in Singapore, Sony’s first in the South East Asia region. As an expansion of Sony’s lithium-ion battery manufacturing capabilities, the company will establish Singapore’s first and only lithium-ion polymer manufacturing plant. The plant is scheduled to start operations in August 2008.
The lithium-ion polymer battery plant in Singapore will be highly automated, utilizing cutting-edge equipment and technologies such as the latest Computer Integrated Manufacturing applications. Local engineers will be sent to Japan for training to gain the technological knowledge and skills needed to run this highly advanced operation.
To be housed on Sony’s existing facility in Tuas, the plant will have a built-up area of about 12,200 square meters. When the plant is fully operational in 2010, it will employ about 500 employees, with a monthly capacity of 8 million units of lithium-ion polymer batteries. These batteries, which will be used in cellular phones, will be shipped to Sony customers worldwide. Sony will be investing S$150 million (US$99 million) in its lithium-ion polymer battery operations in Singapore.
“Sony has decided to place its latest investment in lithium-ion battery production in Singapore, to continue to leverage on the country’s skilled engineering resources, excellent infrastructure, as well as its ideal location for shipment of products worldwide. We are also pleased to further enhance our partnership with the Singapore government which has given us tremendous support since we started manufacturing operations here in 1987. With this investment, we hope to continue to contribute positively to the development of Singapore’s electronics industry via value-add manufacturing, technology transfer and the development of local engineers,” said Mr Yutaka Nakagawa, Executive Deputy President, Officer in charge of Semiconductor & Component Group, Sony Corporation in a written statement.
