FYI
Business Week March 30, 1998 pp 38, 40.
Technology: BATTERY BREAKTHROUGH Plastic power is on the way, and the U.S. leads the charge.
Quotes:
"Ultralife is part of new gang of U.S. Battery makers that see their future in plastic."
"Ultralife isn't the only one to suffer production glitches. Over the past nine years, Valence Technology Inc. of Henderson, Nev., has invested $150 million in developing plastic lithium batteries. But the company has been slow to get products out the door and doesn't expect volume shipments until the fall."
"In the face of such delays, some large potential customers, including Compaq Computer Corp., remain skeptical about plastic batteries. ... Shares of both Ultralife and Valence are trading far below their 52-week highs."
"Another concern is mounting competition from Asia. The Japanese currently own the lithium-ion market and are feverishly pursuing plastic technology - from both Bellcore and domestic companies. Toshiba, Sony, and Matsushita could all, at some point, be major players. A Bellcore licensee in Malaysia called Shubila Battery is also ramping up production. But whether the game remains in the U.S. or moves to Asia, plastic batteries are on track to just keep going and going and going."
Peter |
