In the context of the increasing "carbon neutrality" policy, a large-scale electrification wave has set off in various places. As the main power source of new energy vehicles, lithium batteries can be said to be the "lifeblood" of the development of the new energy industry. , contains unlimited development potential. In addition, the price of lithium battery materials has continued to rise recently, which has caused many ceramic companies to see business opportunities. In sharp contrast to the lithium battery industry, profits in the construction and ceramics industry are as thin as razor blades. In the face of huge profits, more and more ceramic companies are entering lithium batteries in order to get a share of the pie.
3 more ceramic companies have switched to lithium battery production
The total project investment is 142 million yuan
From October 12th to 13th, eight ceramic tile production lines of three ceramic companies in Jiangxi were converted to lithium slag blank roasting, with a total project investment of 142 million yuan. Up to now, more than 50 production lines of nearly 23 ceramic companies in the Pan-Gaoan production area have withdrawn and switched to lithium slag blank roasting.
The total investment amount of Fuligao Ceramics' "technical transformation project of lithium slag blank production line with an annual output of 496,000 tons" is 30 million yuan. Its architectural ceramics project with an annual output of 13 million square meters has a total of 4 production lines, of which 2 production lines ( 1# and 2#) are leased to Gaoan Kaiwo Ceramics Co., Ltd., and Kaiwo Ceramics plans to transform the leased 1# and 2# ceramic production lines into two lithium slag blank production lines with an annual output of 496,000 tons. The factory covers an area of 1,700 acres, and the equipment renovation mainly includes two kilns, raw material systems, ball mill systems, spray powder equipment, dust removal and other environmental protection facilities.
Glory Ceramics' "Technical Transformation Project of Lithium Slag Billet Production Line with an Annual Output of 1 Million Tons" has a total investment of 62 million yuan. Relying on the original 180,000 square meters of factory buildings, the two existing ceramic kiln production lines will be technologically transformed. Upgraded to a lithium slag blank production line with an annual output of 1 million tons.
Carome Ceramics' "Technical Transformation Project of Lithium Slag Blank Production Line with an Annual Output of 800,000 tons" has a total investment of 50 million yuan. Relying on the original 210,000 square meters of factory buildings, it will transform the original two ceramic kiln production lines for an annual output of 800,000 tons. A production line capable of producing 1 million tons of lithium slag blanks.
According to incomplete statistics, from August to September alone, about 13 ceramic companies in Pangoan had their lithium slag blank production line technical renovation projects approved for registration. Since March this year, more than five ceramic companies have taken the lead in switching to lithium battery production, setting off a lithium battery boom in a small area. However, this wave of enthusiasm has quickly cooled down.It was not until August that a large wave of ceramic companies emerged in the Pan-Gaoan production area and successively switched to lithium battery production. Previously, "Ceramic Information" reported that as of September, the annual production capacity of 130 million square meters of ceramic tiles and 150 million pieces of tiles in the Gao'an production area had been withdrawn and turned to the lithium battery industry.
It is worth noting that the environmental impact assessment document for the technical transformation and construction project of the lithium slag blank production line of the ceramic enterprise issued by the Gaoan Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau shows that "production will no longer resume in the future" and there are restrictions on the production line returning to ceramic production. .
More and more lithium battery projects have landed in Jiangxi, which has further stimulated the demand for lithium battery materials and prompted more ceramic companies to switch to lithium battery production. Previously, Nanshi Lithium Battery rented more than 30 ceramic production lines in Gao'an production areas for lithium slag roasting. In addition, there is currently a listed company on the upstream material side of lithium batteries that will be looking for more than 10 ceramic production lines in Yichun for lithium ore roasting processing.
Some experts believe that the conversion of small and medium-sized production lines to produce lithium battery materials is expected to optimize the industry supply structure, and high-energy-consuming enterprises in building ceramics under carbon neutrality are expected to accelerate their exit, which will help leading companies with excellent product quality and advanced environmental management to increase their market share in ceramic tiles. Many industry insiders also said that although the high-security industry has withdrawn from the transformation with an annual production capacity of 130 million square meters of ceramic tiles, the pressure of overcapacity is still prominent.
Do ceramic companies want to ride on the "lithium craze"
Or is it really planning a transformation?
Nowadays, lithium batteries have become one of the best ways to make money in the market. In addition, the price of lithium battery materials has continued to rise recently. Many ceramic companies want to "come back to life" by taking advantage of this wave of dividends from lithium batteries. But if you just want to make a lot of money from the "lithium craze", can you really go on for a long time?
Since the calcination of lithium slag to extract lithium is connected with the kilns and equipment used in ceramic tile production, it is relatively easy to transform the production line. Some industry insiders have calculated that the average investment in the transformation of lithium slag billet per ton production capacity is about 86 yuan. They believe that in new energy Driven by the booming car boom, ceramic companies have switched to producing lithium battery materials with relatively low investment, which is expected to improve the quality of business operations and achieve better returns. In addition, Jiangxi is not only the second largest building ceramics production area in the country, but also one of the provinces with the most complete lithium battery new energy industry chain in the country, and has rich lithium ore resources. This is also a resource advantage that other ceramic tile producing areas do not have.
Han Minhua, an analyst at Zhuochuang Information, said that due to the new energy vehicles and energy storage industriesWith the development of the industry, domestic demand for lithium carbonate has increased significantly. Against the backdrop of short-term supply constraints, lithium prices have continued to rise. According to data released by Shanghai Steel Federation, the quotations of some lithium battery materials increased on October 14. Battery-grade lithium carbonate increased by 4,000 yuan/ton, with an average price of 531,500 yuan/ton; industrial-grade lithium carbonate increased by 5,000 yuan/ton, with an average price of 531,500 yuan/ton. 515,500 yuan/ton; lithium hydroxide increased by 3,500-4,000 yuan/ton; ternary materials increased by 2,500 yuan/ton. It is foreseeable that in the next period of time, "lithium will travel all over the world" will continue to be performed in the industrial chain, and the performance of upstream lithium mines and lithium salt companies will surge. This is also one of the most important motivations for ceramic companies to switch to lithium battery production.
However, there is no shortage of coveters for the fat lamb. Previously, Jinyuan Shares had taken a fancy to the market prospects of lithium extraction and would invest in the development of lithium slag extraction and high-value comprehensive treatment projects. It is understood that Jinyuan Co., Ltd. is committed to becoming a leading domestic and global new energy materials supplier integrating upstream lithium resource development, downstream waste lithium battery recycling and solid (hazardous) waste disposal, and comprehensive recycling of rare and precious metals.
Spurred by market demand, the number of professional lithium extraction companies will also increase. These companies have stronger technologies and more prominent economies of scale, so their competitiveness is far stronger than that of ceramic companies. An insider from a ceramics company that switched to lithium battery production revealed that switching to lithium battery production was actually a forced choice. Although the whole family's financial resources were affected, they didn't know what to do. This also shows that there is a certain degree of following the trend and blindness among ceramic enterprises when changing production.
Some industry professionals predict that the market demand for lithium resources will continue to rise in the short term, but the world is also accelerating the mining of lithium resources. Therefore, in 2023, due to factors such as the expected easing of supply constraints, it is expected that Lithium price growth may be limited in the future, and before 2025, the industry may have excess supply, and lithium prices may fall significantly.
Ceramic companies do not have outstanding advantages in lithium resource production capacity and new energy industry chain. Although they can currently obtain certain profits, as more and more powerful companies flood into the lithium extraction track, they have no advantage. How can ceramic companies survive if they don't pay attention to technological research and absorb high-end talents in the industry? In the future, how will they face the problem of oversupply of lithium batteries?
Ceramic enterprises switch to lithium battery production
Resulting in a large number of specially priced bricks flowing into the market
According to the "Ceramic Information" newspaper, a large number of ceramic companies in Gao'an production areas have switched to lithium battery production, resulting in a batch of inventory clearance products, special price bricks, credit bricks, etc. flowing into the market, seriously impacting the normal market operation order, coupled with the recent The factory-to-factory price of coal continues to rise, and many ceramic manufacturers operating normally have been affected and faced cost challenges. Gao'an's annual production capacity of hundreds of millions of square meters of ceramic tiles is not a small number, and the inventory value of some ceramic companies is even as high as hundreds of millions of yuan.
After these low-priced bricks entered the market, they further intensified the price war in the terminal market. Although the prices of raw materials and energy have been rising recently, ceramic companies still dare not increase prices easily. As a large number of ceramic companies and production lines switch to lithium battery production, a large number of technical workers, marketing administrators and other personnel are also faced with job transfer or re-employment, and even unemployment. In addition, a large wave of ceramic companies have withdrawn from the construction and ceramics industry and invested in lithium battery production. This is actually destroying the confidence of ceramic people and continuing to increase the pessimism in the industry.
Although lithium resources are called "white oil" and have a large potential market, many ceramic companies have not made sufficient preparations and have rashly switched production. This behavior is no different from gamblers. In the short term, ceramic companies may be able to make a lot of money, but without improving process technology, switching to lithium battery production will only slow down the death rate of the company.
