Ningde宁德

Ningde's transformation from one of Fujian's poorest prefectures to the world's battery capital is one of China's most dramatic industrial stories. The catalyst was Zeng Yuqun, a Ningde native who co-founded ATL (Amperex Technology Limited) in 1999 and then spun off CATL in 2011 to focus on power batteries for electric vehicles. CATL's meteoric rise — from startup to the world's largest battery manufacturer in barely a decade — pulled the entire city with it. The company's decision to headquarter in its hometown rather than a tier-1 city created a powerful magnet effect: 200+ upstream and downstream suppliers co-located in Jiaocheng District, achieving 85%+ local material sourcing. By 2022, Ningde's power battery cluster was designated a National Advanced Manufacturing Cluster. The arrival of SAIC's Ningde production base in 2018 added automotive manufacturing depth, while equipment maker Sikeqi became a national "Little Giant" with #1 domestic market share in battery production lines. CATL's revenue reached ¥362B in 2024 with 475 GWh in battery sales, anchoring a cluster that exemplifies the "chain leader + ecosystem" industrial model.