Chinese charging peripherals maker Anker Innovations has forged a strategic partnership with battery maker Amperex Technology Limited (ATL), moving swiftly to secure a new battery cell supplier after jointly recalling more than a million power banks in one of the country’s largest consumer electronics recalls in recent years.
The Shenzhen-based gadget maker planned to purchase an initial batch of 45 million lithium-ion batteries from ATL, according to a statement published on Anker’s website on Wednesday. The deal is a shift for Anker’s supply chain as it seeks to restore consumer confidence in the safety of its products.
Anker is “deepening supply chain collaboration with a leading battery cell supplier to take a major step towards a premium consumer electronics energy solution”, the company said.
The move comes after Anker and rival Romoss last week recalled more than 1.2 million power banks, halting sales of affected models and urging customers to seek refunds or replacements. The companies attributed the recall to defective battery cells from an unnamed supplier, which posed overheating and fire risks.
Earlier reports linked the defective battery cells to Apex Wuxi, a subsidiary of American battery maker Amprius Technologies and Wuxi Industrial Development Group. When asked, Anker would not confirm that Apex batteries were the source of the problem, but said it had ceased doing business with the company.
Apex Wuxi is one of the top battery cell providers to Chinese power bank makers, according to consultancy Chongdiantiou, which focuses on the country’s battery industry. The Romoss PAC20-392 and Anker A1681, two of the recalled products, both used Apex batteries, according to previous Chongdiantiou teardown reports.
