Ya'an Lithium Company
Shuttling through the streets and alleys, the new energy electric vehicles that sell well in China and abroad demonstrate the power of "intelligent manufacturing in China" and show the world China's perseverance and technological innovation to achieve the "double carbon" goal.
Customs data shows that in 2023, one out of every three vehicles exported by the mainland will be an electric passenger vehicle, and the annual export will be 1.773 million units, an increase of 67.1%.
What is little known is that among the new energy vehicles produced by Tesla, BYD, BMW, Volkswagen, Weilai, GAC and other well-known automobile brands, lithium hydroxide, the cathode material in some vehicle power batteries, is produced in Ya'an, Yahua Lithium (Ya'an) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Ya'an Lithium Company).
A few days ago, the reporter walked into Ya'an Lithium Company to explore the story of its "polylithium" struggle.
Technology iteration
"Intelligent transformation and digital transformation" production capacity to improve quality and efficiency
It's summer, and the temperature is still cool. On June 21, Yongxing Avenue, Ya'an Economic Development Zone, under the sun, the huge production line of Ya'an Lithium Company exuded a metallic luster.
From feeding to drying, from warehousing to packaging and delivery, from metallurgical section to chemical section, intelligent production is completed in one go, and lithium hydroxide continues to roll off the production line.
In the conference room, a "brainstorming" is underway.
Chen Yajiao, director of the "Intelligent Transformation and Digital Transformation" Project Department of Ya'an Lithium Company, together with colleagues and third-party technical support companies, discussed whether the relevant indicators required by downstream enterprises can be successfully implemented in the intelligent manufacturing process.
Last year, Ya'an Lithium Co., Ltd. was successfully selected into the list of national digital transformation pilot enterprises, and the implementation direction of the standard was "industrial Internet platform implementation", and only 11 enterprises in the province were selected in this direction.
The implementation of intelligent transformation and digital transformation is the only way to break the constraints of slow improvement of production equipment and promote advanced productivity to new quality productivity. Dong Xingwang, general manager of Ya'an Lithium Company, gave an example: "The production capacity of the first phase of Ya'an Lithium is 20,000 tons, and the production capacity of the second phase of the project has increased by 50% compared with the first phase of the project, reaching 30,000 tons, but the number of workers is almost the same." ”
At the beginning of entering the lithium battery industry, before the first phase of the Ya'an Lithium Company project was about to be put into operation, it was decided to strengthen management, reduce energy consumption and increase production through continuous "intelligent transformation and digital transformation".
"In order to produce lithium salts well and be responsible for downstream manufacturers and industries, we have carried out intelligent transformation of the whole process of production, warehousing, delivery, packaging, and sales, so as to realize full-time, full-domain, and full-volume data collection and mining." Dong Xingwang said.
Shuttling through Ya'an Lithium Company, the "wisdom", "green" and "gold" are amazing.
Build industrial Internet, industrial big data, intelligent warehousing and other platforms, optimize the whole process of lithium salt production line, carry out data mining on key business links, precipitate knowledge and models, open up the digital process of lithium salt production and mining, production, sales and transportation, and support the high-efficiency, low-energy and safe operation of the core intelligent manufacturing process of the industrial chain.
Build security systems such as smart security, equipment management, and industrial control information to realize real-time monitoring of key processes, AI monitoring, fault warning, and safety protection, so as to ensure the safety of employees and enable enterprises to operate safely.
The use of information technology to support the configuration of green factories, based on intelligent denitrification, flue gas online monitoring, acid mist treatment, EMS and other systems, through data collection, monitoring, analysis and optimization and other means to escort the green and sustainable development of enterprises.
Today, Ya'an Lithium's digital transformation level has reached L3 (integrated application). "We will anchor the L4 rating (platform support) and continue to increase project investment, and further enhance the digital and intelligent capabilities of enterprises through cutting-edge technologies and innovative concepts such as digital twins and big data." Dong Xingwang said that through "intelligent transformation and digital transformation", the stability of Ya'an Lithium's high-quality battery-grade lithium salt products has continued to increase, and the per capita daily output has increased by 30%.
Hold on to the key
Hold the lifeblood of development in your hands
The output has doubled, and the output value has not increased year-on-year but declined, but such a slightly "bizarre" story is "staged" in Ya'an Lithium Company every day.
"The momentum of the rapid growth of basic lithium salt prices came to an abrupt end in 2022 and took a sharp turn, from a high of 600,000 yuan/ton, to 100,000 yuan/ton." Dong Xingwang introduced that especially in 2023, the price of basic lithium salt will plummet, but the price of lithium ore will remain high.
This is undoubtedly a "fatal test" for Ya'an Lithium Company, which has signed a large number of long orders: if it is produced, the high cost and low selling price are doomed to losses; If production is stopped, it will face a series of liquidated damages due to the failure to deliver on time.
With the goal of building a "century-old Yahua", Yahua Group resolutely chooses to live up to the trust of the market and work at full speed to ensure that all orders are delivered on time.
On the sales side, the production cost is calculated and the sales price is pushed backwards; On the production side, all links were comprehensively reviewed and a detailed cost reduction plan was formulated...... A battle to tap potential, reduce costs and increase efficiency was launched in Ya'an Lithium Company.
The crisis stems from the price of lithium ore. Fortunately, Yahua Group planted the "seeds" to resolve the crisis in the early stage of entering the lithium battery industry.
At 16 o'clock on April 12, Beijing time, the commissioning ceremony of the first phase of the Kamativi mine of KMC Company of Yahua Group was held.
The Kamativi Mine is Yahua Group's first large-scale mine construction project in Africa. In September 2022, Yahua Group began the exploration and optional experimental study of Kamativi mine resources. In just one and a half years, the first phase has been completed and put into operation, and production and operation have begun; The second phase of the project is scheduled to be put into operation this year. At that time, the Kamativi mine will have an annual raw ore processing and production capacity of 2.3 million tons, which is of great and far-reaching significance for Ya'an Lithium Company to improve the self-sufficiency rate of lithium ore resources, reduce the cost of lithium salt products, enhance market competitiveness, and further improve the level of international development.
"The first batch of raw materials from our own Kamativi mine has arrived at the Ya'an Lithium warehouse. When the Kamativi mine is fully operational, we will be able to achieve 80% self-sufficiency. Dong Xingwang is full of confidence.
Since entering the lithium battery industry, Yahua Group has formulated a development strategy for Ya'an Lithium Company to extend only to the upstream of the industrial chain, that is, the raw ore end, and not to the downstream of the industrial chain, in addition to the production of basic lithium salts.
Today, Ya'an Lithium Company firmly holds the lifeblood of industrial development in its own hands.
Only by gathering "lithium" can we think about "lithium". In recent years, the city has continued to develop strategic emerging industries, cultivate future industries, accelerate the development of new quality productivity, seize the opportunity of new energy scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, seize the commanding heights of strategic industries - lithium battery new materials, and aim to build a "national influential 100 billion-level lithium battery material industry base".
Seek quality from the new and build up momentum. From a lone branch to a hundred flowers, relying on the leader, the introduction of Xiamen tungsten, Jinhui Neng, Fu'an and other lithium battery enterprises, driving the upstream and downstream industrial chains such as cathode and anode materials, power batteries, etc., Ya'an occupies a place in the "lithium battery rivers and lakes".
Reporter Yang Yulong