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Technology Stocks : Energy Conversion Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: fred whitridge who wrote (3072)	1/26/1999 11:48:00 AM
From: Allen Bucholski	Respond to of 8393

Looks like some ones figured out 12 deaths a year due to Ni-cad. poisoning (back in 80's mostly manufacture personal ) is to high a price. NEC to Feature Ecology Symbol Marks for PC Products January 26, 1999 (TOKYO) -- NEC Corp. said it is implementing an environmentally friendly product development system and is preparing to affix ecology symbol marks on many of its PC packages and manuals. Under this system, NEC will place its "Eco Symbol" sticker on the packages and manuals of its products that meet certain conditions and standards. Also, the company will disclose the names of the materials used for plastics, details about power consumption and percentages of recyclable material in each product on its Web site. Initially, the Eco Symbol will be placed on packages and manuals of all PCs produced for the spring sales season, and detailed information is to be disclosed at "98 Information," NEC's PC information Web site (in Japanese). The computer maker plans to gradually broaden the use of the Eco Symbol to PC peripheral devices such as printers, communications-related products such as facsimile machines and mobile phones, as well as servers and mainframe computers. To qualify for the Eco Symbol, products must satisfy the nine points common to all products as well as items set for specific products. The assessments are expected to be done by the Ecology Product Promotion Committee, an environmental management/measures group established within NEC. NEC said that items for assessment are considered in view of: (1) global warming prevention measures; (2) energy/resource savings and promotion of recycling; and (3) control of use of toxic compounds. As concerns PCs, for example, they are required to use less power, to help prevent global warming. To achieve this goal, the energy consumption levels in stand-by modes will be reduced. As for conserving resources and recycling, conditions include utilizing recycled plastic and magnesium alloy, used and recycled paper, and making products that are easy to disassemble. Also, products sold to businesses should be returned after their use is completed, and the parts recycled, NEC said. Polyvinyl chloride for containers and mercury cells/nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries will not be used, to advance NEC's goal of controlling potentially harmful materials. The first products to carry the Eco Symbol mark are PCs equipped with a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor. The symbol mark is expected to be printed on packages and user manuals as well as on posters to be displayed at stores. To facilitate recycling, no symbol mark stickers will be placed on the actual products. Related stories: ¥ NEC Introduces Environmental Efficiency into Products ¥ Gov't Formulating Guidelines For Environmentally Friendly PCs (BizTech News Dept.)

To: fred whitridge who wrote (3072)	1/26/1999 3:31:00 PM
From: fred whitridge	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 8393

Bros. Stavy questioned my mention of an IPO of Ovonic (or USSC)in my previous post. This is not a company sanctioned thought but is one which I and several others have been using to beat the company over the head. Assuming each division is worth $150mm to $200mm (certainly the comps in Ovonic support this and probably the market position of USSC supports this) then sale of a 10-20% stake and retention of proceeds in the relevant division would make them self financing, allow them to build a 25MW machine, etc, etc. Sorry if my post left the impression this was in the works. Would that is was....

To: fred whitridge who wrote (3072)	1/28/1999 8:57:00 AM
From: Ray	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 8393

Fred, I can not agree that the Barron's article on LiPoly batteries is excellent. I follow the LiPoly arena somewhat; and, as I have stated here before, I think these batteries will be important, perhaps dominant, in electronics applications. This should not effect ENER much as NiMH is much better for other applications (at least as far as I can tell). And, ENER has so many other things it is pursuing. The following is the major part of a another recent article on LiPoly. Title: SONY AND MATSUSHITA MAKE MAJOR COMMITMENTS Summary: The recent announcements of the commencement of commercial production of lithium ion polymer batteries by Sony, Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd. (MBI), and Thomas & Betts (T&B) are significant milestones in the growth of this technology, according to Kline & Company, Inc., a New Jersey-based business consulting firm. Recent announcements indicate that by year's end, there will be a viable annual production capacity of 16 million lithium ion polymer cells. This is consistent with recent estimates made by Kline in their recent market study titled "GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES IN ADVANCED BATTERY TECHNOLOGIES, 1997-2007." SONY AND MATSUSHITA MAKE MAJOR COMMITMENTS Story Filed: Wednesday, January 27, 1999 06:14 PM EST LITTLE FALLS, N.J., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The recent announcements of the commencement of commercial production of lithium ion polymer batteries by Sony, Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd. (MBI), and Thomas & Betts (T&B) are significant milestones in the growth of this technology, according to Kline & Company, Inc., a New Jersey-based business consulting firm. Recent announcements indicate that by year's end, there will be a viable annual production capacity of 16 million lithium ion polymer cells. This is consistent with recent estimates made by Kline in their recent market study titled "GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES IN ADVANCED BATTERY TECHNOLOGIES, 1997-2007." All three firms are targeting their products for the cellular communications market. Stated and estimated capacities for each company are listed below: Company Annual capacity (millions of cells) Sony 12.0 MBI 3.6 T&B 0.2 Total 15.8 Kline forecasts that lithium ion polymer batteries will become the premier battery technology in portable electronics. Because of its design flexibility, the major end-use applications for this technology will be in cellular communications and mobile computers. "These are very important developments. We view them as only the first in a long line of commercial lithium ion polymer announcements," says Michael Corbett, project manager at Kline. "Sony is the leading global supplier of lithium ion cells with approximately 30% market share. It clearly views this technology as a future growth area." "MBI's announcement is also significant because MBI is the world's largest battery producer and one of the leading producers of small secondary batteries." (MBI produces about 5 million lithium ion cells a month.) "MBI views the 21st century as the century of lithium ion technology. It is investing a great deal to upgrade its technology and build the necessary manufacturing capacity to obtain a position of leadership," notes Corbett. "Lithium ion polymer provides MBI with a way to grow its business without starting a price war, as it will initially be targeting new products in higher-end applications." Kline estimates that, altogether, Sony, MBI, and T&B can produce approximately 16 million cells a year. "Even though this represents less than 5% of the anticipated demand for lithium ion batteries in 1999, it is still an important first step in proving the commercial viability of this technology," Corbett says. Kline projects that solid or gel-type electrolyte lithium ion polymer batteries will account for 20% to 25% of all lithium ion batteries sold within five years, and may approach $3 billion to $4 billion in ten years. "This means that this technology will be more than just a niche application. It will move into the mainstream for portable electronics as it better meets evolving consumer value-added propositions," notes Corbett. "The importance of the T&B announcement is that it highlights that smaller companies can successfully commercialize this technology as well," according to Corbett. Kline estimates that approximately 30 companies around the world are working on commercializing some form of lithium ion polymer or related technology. Kline also anticipates that such larger lithium ion cell producers as Sanyo or Toshiba, as well as smaller startup companies, may also enter the lithium ion polymer market this year. Kline's study titled "GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES IN ADVANCED BATTERY TECHNOLOGIES, 1997-2007" assesses and analyzes the current and projected status of market need and technology for lithium ion polymer in the portable electronics and the high-performance secondary battery value chain. The study also provides long-term forecasts for consumption of lithium ion batteries by end-use application and geographic region.