By Paul Kunert
21 August 2008
The shortage of battery cells has not yet been overcome by manufacturers in the Far East and demand is unlikely to be fully satisfied until next year, according to local reports.
The problems first emerged after a fire at Matsushita Electric Industrial’s facility in Japan halted production late last year, closely followed by a similar incident at LG Chem’s plant in Korera in March.
LG Chem told the Digi Times today that its operations were back online but supply will only return to normal in mid-2009.
Others offered a similar prognosis with Dynapack International claiming shortages will continue in the final quarter of 2008 and despite increases in capacity, demand will outweigh supply.
Availability will remain constricted this quarter but could improve from the end of September said Simplo Technology Company.
