John, barely caught this Belfast Telegraph article before it went into the archives thus saving you a library 'check-out' for a future article <G>.
belfasttelegraph.co.uk
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Valence bid to curb rival
By Maurice Neill
HI-TECH battery manufacturer Valence has offered Telecordia shares in
the company if it surrenders its rival technology.
The deal, which would allow Valence to virtually corner the market in
lithium-ion polymer batteries, must be approved by the Federal Trade
Commission in the United States.
Though the science, which produces lightweight batteries for mobile
phones and other electrical equipment, was pioneered in the US, the
Valence product went into production at a factory in Northern Ireland in
March.
The company, which first invested here in 1993, now employs 400 at
Mallusk and is in production 24-hours a day. Much of the specialist
factory equipment was custom-made here.
It produces batteries for the American market and a second plant is
planed in Korea to meet demand in Asia.
The offer to acquire the rival technology is widely viewed as a bid to
secure the growing world market in lightweight batteries for portable
electronics devices.
"The planned acquisition of technology, combined with our extensive
patent portfolio, advanced research and development facilities and
vertically integrated manufacturing plant in Northern Ireland means
Valence will now enter its most exciting phase," said chairman and chief
executive Lev Dawson.
"We intend to work with other battery manufacturers, license our
intellectual property and make lithium polymer batteries the new
standard for powering portable electronic devices."Sam McComb, general
manager at Mallusk, said: "This will mean more capacity for Mallusk and
more skilled employment. It secures the future for the company and
justifies the decision to back the investment here."Valence has
projected world demand for the battery to reach 1.89 billion units a
year by 2005.
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