Supply Chain Research

European auto manufacturers are stepping up their electrification strategies, with Daimler opening a lithium ion battery factory in Germany. The challenge for the industry will come from sourcing raw lithium supplies. Choices are few, with Argentina and Chile making up almost all the exports into the U.S. Globally, Chile has seen a reduction in exports, with a 1% drop in shipments in the first quarter of 2017. Sales to the EU by suppliers SQM and Albemarle fell 16% on a year earlier, while those to China jumped 95%. Long term growth, which has averaged 13% annually over the past eight ye...