Ningde, China, Sept. 28, 2021 -- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) announced that its Ningde facility has been recognized by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a global Lighthouse factory, the first battery manufacturing base joining WEF's Global Lighthouse Network (GLN).

As CATL is one of the 21 new Lighthouses globally, the WEF made the following remark about CATL's manufacturing competitiveness: “Confronted with increasing manufacturing process complexity and demand for high product quality, CATL leveraged artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and edge/cloud computing to achieve, in three years, a defect rate per billion count at the speed of 1.7s per cell, while improving labor productivity by 75% and reducing energy consumption by 10% per year.”

The GLN is a community of the world’s leading manufacturers advancing next-generation levels of efficiency and sustainability through innovation. The designation of "global Lighthouse factory" is awarded to manufacturing leaders who have been successful in applying Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data analytics to improve efficiency and competitiveness at scale, transform business models and achieve profitable growth, in tandem with environmental stewardship. 

Extreme manufacturing for high-quality products in the TWh era

High efficiency and high-quality delivery are the core competitive edges. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, CATL has developed an extreme manufacturing system that produces high-quality battery products at an higher speed and under extremely complicated technological processes. 

Using a model-based smart process control and a multi-modality intelligent inspection system at all processing stages, which are enabled by big data analysis and AI algorithms, CATL has achieved an enhanced defect rate that has been improved from the PPM (part per million) level to the PPB (part per billion) level.

Intelligent energy management for value chain sustainability 

Tracking the carbon footprint of battery production as a whole system from mining, raw materials supply, manufacturing, usage to recycling, CATL has developed an intelligent resource and energy management platform to further reduce the carbon emission of battery manufacturing and to develop a more sustainable value chain:

? Utilizing clean electricity generated through solar power, wind power hydropower, nuclear power or other sources of clean energy. 

? Analyzing real-time data of key equipment energy consumption with production strategies to design the most efficient energy solutions. 

? Realizing integrated management among factories collectively. 

? Reducing unit energy consumption by 10% and carbon emissions by 57% (kg/kWh) per year.

Head of Shaping the Advanced Manufacturing and Value Chains at the WEF Francisco Betti said: “Increased global concern for environmental impact has made sustainability a must-have to maintain business viability. These new Lighthouses make it clear that by realizing the potential of 4IR technologies in manufacturing, companies can unlock new levels of sustainability in their operations and explore a win-win solution: greater operational competitiveness while simultaneously making commitments to environmental stewardship, leading in a cleaner, more sustainable future as a result.”

Beyond its Ningde facility, CATL has established eight other battery manufacturing bases worldwide, among which the first overseas factory is located in Germany. Designated as a Lighthouse, CATL is ready to expand the Lighthouse experience to develop a high-quality, efficient and sustainable global manufacturing network, and to help realize the global carbon neutrality goal.