The world's largest manufacturer of high-end new-energy equipment, Lead Intelligent Equipment, began on Dec 17 to construct a base in Nanping Town for the design and manufacture of lithium batteries equipment.

The South China Headquarters Manufacturing Base of the Wuxi-based firm is to create more than 50 post-processing systems for lithium battery production lines. Once operational, the Xiangzhou District base should generate output value of more than 7 billion yuan ($1 billion) in five years. Its products would be sold to lithium battery and auto mainframe customers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Rendering of Lead Intelligent Equipment's South China Headquarters Manufacturing Base [Photo courtesy WeChat account: zhxiangzhou] 

Founded in 2002, in 2017 Lead Intelligent Equipment acquired Zhuhai Titans New Power Electronics, which is a leader in back-end equipment R&D and manufacturing. Complementary advantages of the two companies made Lead the sole global solution provider for an entire lithium battery industrial chain with independent intellectual property, said Wang Yanqing, president of Lead Intelligent Equipment.

In recent years, Lead recorded annualized compound growth of more than 71 percent and market value of over 60 billion yuan ($9 billion). It set up new "smart" manufacturing bases in South and East China this year and expanded its sales network from the United States, South Korea, India, and Sweden to Germany, Japan, and Vietnam.

Currently, Lead has 300,000 sqm (74 acres) for manufacturing and R&D and 7,500 employees, including 1,600 R&D engineers.