ENERGY TECHNOLOGY(SZ:002812) 21世纪经济报道·2025-12-27 01:10Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the rise and fall of Enjie Co., Ltd., focusing on the company's strategic decisions in the lithium battery separator market and the impact of market fluctuations on its financial performance [1][10]. Group 1: Company Overview - Enjie Co., Ltd. specializes in lithium battery separators, which are crucial for battery safety and energy density [1]. - The company was founded by Paul Xiaoming Lee and his brother Li Xiaohua, who returned to China after studying polymer materials in the U.S. [5]. - Enjie initially entered the BOPP film market for cigarette packaging before pivoting to lithium battery separators in 2010, recognizing the potential for domestic production [5][9]. Group 2: Market Performance - Enjie’s stock price surged over 70% in 2023, reaching a market capitalization of 557 billion yuan [1]. - However, the stock has lost 80% of its value from its peak, with a market cap decline of over 250 billion yuan [3]. - The company’s revenue skyrocketed from less than 1.2 billion yuan in 2016 to 8 billion yuan in 2021, with net profit increasing 16-fold during the same period [9]. Group 3: Strategic Decisions - Enjie adopted a strategy of significant prepayments to secure equipment supply from Japanese manufacturers, creating a competitive barrier [6][7]. - The company aimed for an ambitious production target of 15 billion square meters of separators by 2025, despite the global production being only 7.6 billion square meters at that time [10]. - Enjie’s gross margin peaked at over 50% in 2021, aided by its large-scale production capabilities [7]. Group 4: Financial Challenges - The lithium battery market faced a downturn in 2023, with lithium carbonate prices plummeting from 500,000 yuan per ton to 100,000 yuan, leading to reduced demand and price cuts for separators [10]. - Enjie reported a 119.46% year-on-year decline in net profit in the first half of 2025, marking its first loss since going public [10][11]. - The company’s accounts receivable reached 5.251 billion yuan, representing over 51% of its 2024 revenue, indicating cash flow pressures [11]. Group 5: Capital Operations - The Lee brothers engaged in significant share sell-offs between 2020 and 2022, totaling 3.517 billion yuan, which raised concerns about their commitment to the company [12]. - In 2025, they initiated a share buyback program, acquiring shares at a significantly lower price than during their sell-off, demonstrating a strategic financial maneuver [12][13]. - Enjie is expanding internationally, with plans for production bases in Hungary, the U.S., and Malaysia, alongside a focus on technological innovation [13][14].