Korea’s tech giant Samsung Electronics is planning to switch lithium-ion battery supplier for its forthcoming Galaxy S8 smart phone, reported Korean media Hankyung.
Japanese ceramic separator maker Murata Manufacturing is set to supply the batteries, just a few months after buying Sony’s lithium batteries business.
The deal with Murata, which also supplies Samsung’s rival Apple, comes after batteries from two different suppliers were found to be faulty in Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 mobile phones.
The Note 7 phones were recalled after short circuits in both the original and replacement batteries, supplied by Samsung SDI and China’s Amperex Technology Ltd (ATL) respectively caused thermal runaway.
As the Samsung Electronics’s own affiliate, Samsung SDI still owns the majority supply proportion for the new phone.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Ministry of Trade and Industry and Energy announced they would strengthen lithium-ion battery safety requirements.
X-ray testing and stricter standards in the design process will be introduced in the manufacturing process, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Samsung SDI is set to supply its cylindrical lithium-ion cells batteries to US golf-cart manufacturer Textron Specialized Vehicles.
The move is a bid to ‘diversify its distribution channels’ following year-long operating losses, reported Korea Today.
The cells will be packed into a single battery pack for the carts.
“The battery contract with E-Z-GO is very significant, as it is a visible outcome in developing a new market of replacing lead-acid batteries with lithium-ion batteries,” Youn Jun-yeol, executive director at Samsung SDI’s small battery marketing division, said in a statement.
Global demand for golf carts was expected to be around 189,920 units, rising to 301,188 units by 2026, according to analysts Future Markets Insights.
The move came at a critical time for the Seoul-based battery maker which financially underperformed last year, not helped by the recall of its Note 7 smartphone and failure to win certification from the Chinese government for EV battery subsidies.
