Transcription
A field trip to the Panasonic battery factory. Do you want to know what's inside a battery? If you're not feeling well, let's go in and take a look. How do batteries provide power? Let's go / Let's go. It sounds like a voiceover, doesn't it? / Yes. I'd like to introduce everyone to Khun Oum. Hello, my nickname is Oum. I am the Production Manager of Panasonic Energy (Thailand) Co., Ltd. What is the first step? What size is it? The size we will be touring today is 2A. We actually have many sizes. For alkaline batteries, we produce them here. We produce 3 sizes. They are 3A, 2A, and 9V. Who decided that this size is called AA or 3A? Actually, it's a standard that we set. It's an international standard called IEC standard, which is a collaboration between countries so that it can be used with a wide variety of common devices. In reality, there are many codes they are called. Ours will be called one code, and Japan's will be called another. For example, this 2A battery, if it's in Japan, what will it be called? Number 3. And if it's a 3A battery, what will it be called in Japan? Number 4. For alkaline batteries, it's called LR6 here. For manganese or carbon-zinc batteries, it's called R6. They are not called the same. You mentioned manganese earlier. There are many more. Here, we produce 2 types, divided by their type. The first type is carbon-zinc, which we call manganese batteries. The green and black batteries we saw earlier. That's the old model, right? / That's correct. The second type is alkaline batteries. Here, alkaline batteries include regular alkaline and Evolta alkaline, the red and blue packaging. That's correct. So, what's the difference between alkaline and manganese batteries? The first difference is the internal composition. Second is the conductive solution. The conductive solution. For manganese batteries, it's an acidic conductive solution. But for alkaline batteries, it's an alkaline conductive solution, or Alkaline Electrolyte, which is the name of the alkaline battery. Oh, so this is the composition. Performance is another matter. But for alkaline batteries, the production is more complicated and complex. The packaging and all the components that are put into alkaline batteries have higher density. Therefore, the power lasts longer. Today, we will see alkaline batteries. Starting with the first step, the process of producing the cylinder. It begins by bringing in the raw material, these foils. They are metal, but not ordinary metal. It's specially nickel-plated metal. Why is it nickel-plated? When it starts to conduct electricity well, the electricity we produce in the battery will be transmitted better to the device. How much does one sheet weigh, and how well can it be produced? Khun Oum is challenging me. Oh my, no way. No way. If I lifted this just now, you could find a spaceship from Planet Namek around here. But it's this heavy. When it's time to use it, do we have to melt it first? / No need. It's ready to be made into a cylinder. Is this a battery cylinder forming machine? That's correct. It looks like a large tape dispenser, and it rolls and stretches. The forming process starts with cutting. It will be in the form of a round sheet. When we stretch it, it becomes a part of the positive terminal. The positive terminal is the one with the cap sticking out. Can we sell it like this? It's cool. / Very cool. So, everything we see here is the positive terminal? Yes. / That's correct. Therefore, the sides are all positive terminals. But normally, in the market, we don't see them because they are covered by labels. I've always wondered since I was a child, why does it have to be this shape? Why must it be this shape only? Why is it round like this? Why not another shape? It's easy to fit into devices. If it were square, it would press against the terminals that receive electricity from the device, causing damage. It could also function like a button. Have you ever seen buttons that snap like this? When this part sticks out, it makes it tighter. Where do we go next? / After this step, you'll see that the mouths are not yet even. The mouths of the cylinders. We have to cut them to a standard length. This is an international standard requirement that the length of all flashlight batteries must be the same. Besides cutting the mouths of the cylinders, we check if the cylinder has any leaks. Because during the forming process, if there are defects, it might cause leaks and perforations. This could cause the ingredients inside our batteries to leak out. Therefore, we will inspect for leaks again. Does that mean every single one has to be checked? Every single piece is checked. / Oh my. After we have cut the mouths of the cylinders and checked for leaks, we have to clean them. Because during the cylinder forming process, we use a coolant which contains oil. Therefore, these cylinders must be cleaned thoroughly. Washed with plain water? / With hot water. How do we start washing? Actually, the workpieces pass along this conveyor belt. We pick up one cylinder at a time and wash the inside and outside. After washing, there will be some water left. We use air to blow it off and a heating system to remove any remaining water droplets before sending it to the next process. Is this after we have finished washing? That's correct. This is after washing. We get dry and clean cylinders. But they dry so quickly. Is it by blowing air like this? / It's both air blowing and a heater providing heat. After that, the cleaned cylinders will have the conductive material sprayed to coat the inner surface of the cylinder again. But Khun Oum mentioned earlier that this metal is already a good conductor. Do we have to spray it again? This is between the positive terminal and the material again. The cylinder itself is conductive. So, when we insert the positive terminal, the positive terminal can communicate with the outer shell or the cylinder again. / Okay. After spraying, we will inspect the external appearance to see if the cylinders we formed have any dents, scratches, or collapses. We check them here using a camera inspection system. It checks each piece individually. After finishing, the result will be cylinders ready to have the positive terminal inserted. They will be conveyed into boxes. Coming to this process, I must say it looks like bullet casings. If we were to use them directly, would there be a problem? Or do we need to have some kind of label attached to the outside? / Yes. It's risky to cause a short circuit if there's no label when using them. The danger is that it's very close to the negative terminal if there's no label. But if we wrap it with a label, it will clearly indicate that the positive terminal is here and the negative terminal is here. Because the label also acts as an insulator. So, the label is useful? / It is useful. To all disciples, after we have obtained the "amulets," Panasonic will show you the production of the "masses" inside the amulets. Oh, these are the masses. Let's go see the consecration. / Yes. The consecration will be in another segment. These masses are the masses that provide positive energy. That's correct. What are they like? I know everything. These masses are compounds of manganese ore, which is the main raw material for producing the positive terminal. Whether it's carbon-zinc or alkaline batteries, manganese ore compounds are used. There's a mythical creature here. There's a carbon lion. These masses are sacred. Let me ask like an art student. What are the advantages of manganese? It will be used together with another component, which is the negative terminal. The negative and positive terminals have the function of receiving and giving electrons. When electrons are given, it creates electrical charge. If there's a giver, there must be a receiver. After we get these masses, as Khun Ed mentioned, they will be mixed together. When the mixture is well combined, we will form them into flakes or select only the usable sizes. Not all powders can be used. Excuse me, my eyes are not bad, are they? Is that vibrating? Looking at it makes my eyes blurry. Don't mention it. / Teacher, why is it vibrating like this? It's like we're sieving. Sieving, right? Yes, like sieving. / Oh. Wow, sacred, sacred. / Amen. Once the correct size is obtained, we will send it to the press. This is the positive terminal press. It's not enough to just press it. It's put into the cylinder that we created in the previous department. You can call it an amulet. Yes, yes. Then we get the amulet. Wait, that's a battery. Here, my dear followers. After we put in the positive energy masses, what's next? I'll let my student explain. These masses, before this, were in powder form. They just haven't shown their power yet. Let me show you. This is an empty cylinder. This is the step in creating the positive terminal. It will be in the form of a hollow cylinder. Hollow inside to put other components and the negative terminal. This is the positive terminal being inserted into the cylinder. Is this more than usual? This is not fully inserted yet. It actually needs to be inserted further. / Oh. But it has to be pressed by a machine. We can't touch it with our hands. And it's pressed like this? Yes. It needs to be filled completely to become a homogeneous mass. If it's homogeneous, the conductivity will be better. Is it sacred yet? Not yet. You're drifting off. After we insert the pellets, sometimes they might come out. Therefore, we will form grooves in the cylinder so that they don't push themselves out. That's correct. But we won't see these locking grooves because there's an outer shell covering them, a label. So, this is finished. We will send it up for assembly. The negative terminal compound and other components on the second floor. You mentioned masses earlier. / Yes. Which provide positive energy to everyone's lives. Next, we will look at the dark arts, the negative energy. Oh, really? / Yes. We have a cylinder for everyone to guess. What size is this?! Let Khun Ed guess what size it is. It must be smaller than 3A. This is 5A. And what is this made for? To make 9V batteries. Inside a 9V battery, there are many small ones like this packed inside. That's correct. One 1.5V cell has how many of these inside? 6 cells. Viewers who have watched this far, don't be confused. Don't try to drill or open them. Leave them as they are. Imagine this is inside that square battery. It's a square amulet. Amulet, not a battery. We're on another level. If the previous step was building a house, this is like laying the foundation. This floor is very quiet. What are we going to see on this floor? Before inserting the negative energy masses, we must insert the separator, the divider between the positive and negative terminals, to force the electricity to flow in the direction we want it to flow. That's correct. It's like a bridge. So, inside the flashlight battery, we put in positive energy masses and then negative energy masses together. If we don't put in a separator or a divider between the positive and negative terminals, the electricity will just flow across here. But actually, we want it to flow from the positive terminal and go to the negative terminal like this, to pass through the circuits of various devices we want to use. The divider will be in the form of a special fiber that allows only electrical charges to pass through. Other substances cannot pass. There are actually two sizes. There's a separator that goes on the side, and at the bottom, there's another insulator, but it's square. / It's square. We don't cut it into a round shape or anything? No. It's square. So, what we saw on the first floor will be like this. This is a battery with a separator inserted. It goes quite deep, doesn't it? / It goes all the way down. At the bottom layer, there's a small plate underneath, and then this large one presses down on it. Oh, so the positive terminal masses are on the outside, like a ring, but the negative terminal is like a core inserted into the center inside. That's correct. Oh, and this white plate is the separator between the positive and negative terminals. Now we will drip in the sealant. The sealant is applied to the top edge here, on the inside. / That's correct. Just on the edges? / That's right. What for? To prevent liquid or other components from leaking out. From the negative terminal. / Yes. So, when we seal it, the sealant acts like a seal to make it really tight, so no substances leak out. Its name is Sealant. After dripping the sealant, we will drip in the conductive solution. The conductive solution acts as a medium for conducting electricity between the positive and negative terminals. This is like a liquid. / It's a liquid. And it's an alkaline conductive solution, or in English, Alkaline Electrolyte, which is the origin of the name alkaline battery. After we fill in the conductive solution, we will add the negative terminal compound. Our negative terminal compound is zinc, made into a powder and mixed in a gel-like form. Then, a camera will inspect if the dripping is complete. Because the outside is the positive terminal and the inside is the negative terminal, if any part of the negative terminal compound crosses over, it will cause an internal short circuit in the battery. That battery will have no power at all. All machines have detection systems, whether it's a laser or a camera. The laser measures the level, and the camera checks the external appearance. It checks the dripping condition. Are the machines spec'd from Japan? Yes. The machines we are currently using are the latest technology from Japan. They are high-precision machines and are fully automated. They perform quality checks on both the internal condition of the battery and the external appearance. Therefore, you can trust the power and quality of Panasonic batteries. Have you ever seen a toy car? Placed still. My son, normally he has to push it like this to make it run. Put in a Panasonic amulet. My goodness, the car runs by itself. / Unbelievable. The TV at home, just sitting there, no buttons. My great-grandfather watched the same channel every day. One fine day, amen, miracles exist. I put a Panasonic battery in the remote, pressed it, and changed the channel. Before that, I had never used a Panasonic battery. / Yes. It's not just electrical appliances that use Panasonic batteries. Tell me. / Before every launch, all comedians do this. They put 4 batteries on top. It will be... Miracles exist. You can go alone. / What should we see next? After inserting the negative terminal compound, we will insert the negative terminal conductor. We pick it up from this machine and insert it one by one. Is the negative terminal conductor that needle-like thing? That's correct. It's like there's a machine to flip it and insert it. This is an example. This is the negative terminal part we mentioned. If you look at it like this, it's like a needle that is inserted. After inserting the negative terminal, what's next? / Then we will seal it by pressing. By folding the mouth of the cylinder together. Using a die to press and form it. It will look like a mold with this shape for pressing. Okay. It's flattened like this. When it's impacted, it shrinks like this. Yes. This looks like a normal battery now. These are already powered batteries. But to ensure they can be used, we need to check the quality again. In the past, as a child, I understood how to check if a battery had power by using my saliva. / To touch it to the tongue, right? / That seems a bit dangerous. Can we check it now? Our tongues cannot measure numerically. After we have sealed the negative terminal, the voltage, which is volts, and the current, which is amperes, will be checked here for every single battery. We also check the external condition to see if there are any dents or collapses where we sealed it. We also check the weight to see if all the components we put into the battery are within the standard range. These are all automated systems. If there's a problem, the battery will be rejected, one by one. After that, these batteries will be packaged in boxes, waiting to be wrapped with labels. If we only consider the outer shell or the production of batteries, no matter what it is, it must be to the same standard because it's used worldwide. But what about the inside? Each formula is its own. It's a secret for each company. Batteries in the market are not all the same. They are not the same. The amount of chemicals may vary. I want to know if these batteries have a shelf life. For example, if we buy them and don't use them, is there a chance their performance will decrease? Each brand has a different lifespan. But for our Panasonic, we have a 10-year warranty! / Oh my. From the moment they are produced, if stored for no more than 10 years and then used, they will still have quality. That's correct. They will still have quality. They must be stored at the appropriate temperature, not too cold and not too hot. So, normal room temperature. When I was a child and playing Game Boy, it would turn off. I would take out the batteries and put them in the refrigerator. Miraculously! They could be used again. Is that true? For how long? / A short while. 5-10 minutes. Temperature is one factor that stimulates the chemical reactions inside. But how long it lasts is another matter. I have another method. My brother told me to hit the battery. / Oh my. Slightly dented or twisted. Sounds dangerous. / A little impact. It's another form of stimulation. Besides temperature, there's also impact. Do you recommend it? You don't recommend it, right? / Absolutely not. It's very dangerous. This process is the labeling process. After the batteries are completely assembled, they will be batteries without labels, still dangerous to consumers. The outer label provides beauty and also acts as an insulator. I'll tell you, when I was a child, when I played with TAMIYA cars, some people said the batteries weren't pretty. They peeled them off. You shouldn't do that. / You absolutely should not do that. What material is used for the label? There are PET types, and some might be PVC, depending on the manufacturer. What does Panasonic battery use? We use PET. This machine starts by taking the batteries from the assembly process, which are finished. They are conveyed out. Then they are checked for leaks again. After that, they are conveyed up, and what happens next? / The labeling starts. Labeling one by one. In this step, the expiration date is printed. After labeling, there's another quality check. This is to check the voltage and amperage, and also to inspect the external appearance, such as checking for dirt, using an image sensor system. Checking for dents again. Here, about 5 cameras are used for detection. It's all automated. If there's a problem, it will reject the defective ones. After that, these batteries will be sent to the packing department. I see the labels. The red one and the blue one. The red one is alkaline. The other one is EVOLTA. What's the difference? The masses and internal composition are different. The performance is also different. EVOLTA is for devices that require high power. For manganese or carbon-zinc batteries, they are for electrical devices that don't use much power, such as clocks / remotes. For newer remotes or smart TV remotes, it's recommended to use EVOLTA or alkaline batteries. For devices like mice, if you put in manganese batteries, they will run out quickly. For the TIS standard, you can see it on the label, for both regular alkaline and Evolta alkaline. So, what we see now are batteries ready for use. That's correct. Meaning they are safely wrapped. I see something here, SNI. What is SNI? On the label. SNI is the Indonesian standard for flashlight battery production for export to Indonesia. Oh, we export there? / Yes. There's also TIS. What does it stand for? / Standard Thai Industrial. Yes, because Mae Ai Gook is very meticulous. If Mae Ai Gook says it's okay, then it's okay. What is TIS? TIS is the Thai standard for controlling flashlight battery production. Our Panasonic batteries are the first and only ones in Thailand to have the industrial production standard. This includes regular alkaline and Evolta alkaline. So, those black charcoal batteries you buy in the market and use to cook rice at home are dangerous. Those don't have TIS. They don't have it, right? Be careful, because some people buy those black charcoal batteries and use them to cook rice, and the house is full of smoke. Fortunately, I see some people putting those black charcoal batteries into remotes! Is that true!? / It's unusable. That's crazy! Let's recite together. After we have shown the assembly process, there is a quality inspection process. The inspection mainly involves checking for contamination of almost all the substances used to make the batteries. Importantly, we check for hazardous substances that do not comply with RoHS standards, which are hazardous prohibited substances in Europe, about 10 types, such as cadmium, phthalates, etc., which are hazardous substances. I confess, at first glance, I thought it was a water dispenser. Are you putting batteries in there? That's correct. This room is for inspection to confirm the quality again. Every batch of batteries produced will be inspected here. We have various testing standards. 1. TIS, which we mentioned. 2. IEC standard, which is the international standard for flashlight battery production. What is that standard? It's an experiment on electricity usage in various modes of power consumption for each device. For example, how many hours can a TV remote use an alkaline battery? Even though these batteries have so many benefits, there are still people who don't like them. Who? / There are some artists or singers who wrote songs against using batteries. That artist might be the band BIG ASS. At that time, they sang the song "Kon Mai Ao Tan" (People Don't Want Batteries). Oh. / I'm not sure if this has any impact. It probably doesn't have an impact, but the song "Num Bao Sao Pan" helped a lot. Oh, and they recovered and made a comeback. So, they made a comeback. I like that they said there's no impact. Before entering the packaging process, there's a very interesting cabinet here. Even though the products inside the cabinet look the same, there are differences, right? The batteries inside are the same, but the appearance is different. The appearance depends on the customer in each country where we send them. / Oh. The fact that we have to send them abroad, does that mean this is the only Asian factory producing them? For 2A, 3A, and 9V sizes, they are produced here. But for other sizes, another factory produces them. Actually, what we are showing here is just a part. There are more. This cabinet mainly displays regular Blister Packs. Blister Pack is a package that emphasizes showcasing the product, attached to a colorful paper. This is our new product. It's a Paper Pack. Paper Pack means it's made entirely of paper. I must say, these are all new products. This cabinet can display them because they are new batteries. If they were old batteries, they would be hot and couldn't be placed here. They can't be placed here. They are waiting for their revival. Does this cause problems for the factory? Do you like it? / Yes, yes. Are you happy? / Yes. And those who come later have to endure and force themselves. Sorry, viewers. This is the Blister Pack production line. This appearance is a regular Blister Pack. It consists of batteries that have been labeled and quality checked. Then, these batteries are placed into plastic cups. Then paper is inserted. And there will be barcode checks. Production model checks as well, because currently we have quite a lot of models. Then they are heat-sealed together and pressed. After the products are sealed together like this in a blister, the staff will inspect them and print the expiration date again. On the blister pack. Because once they are put into the Blister Pack, they won't be visible anymore. So, we have to print it on the Blister Card again. Then the staff will pack them into boxes and send them to the warehouse. This is a general Blister Pack packaging format. Besides regular Blister Pack, we also have a new packaging format designed by our research and development department. It's a package that reduces plastic usage. As I mentioned earlier, the package is mostly made of paper. It can reduce plastic by up to 75%. First, the envelope is formed. Then the machine picks up the batteries and puts them into the envelope automatically. Then, a special glue formula is applied. Because our batteries have a 10-year warranty, right? So, the glue must also be durable. Staff will inspect the appearance for any abnormalities, such as excess glue, scratches, smudged or blurry text. Then they will be packed into boxes. Are these paper packs exported? These are available in Thailand. This packaging is sold exclusively in Thailand. If you viewers are moving or if you run out of batteries at home and discover that shaking or tapping the batteries doesn't revive them, and putting them in the refrigerator doesn't work, go to convenience stores and supermarkets and look for Panasonic batteries. It could be the manganese model, the alkaline model, or the alkaline Evolta model. After hearing this, are you brave enough to buy a large pack? It can be stored for 10 years. / Because it can be stored for 10 years. From now on, you might want to buy larger packs. And within that 10-year period, you can be sure that the batteries are durable and powerful. They will work with all devices. We are now in the showroom area. The guide for this area, please introduce yourself. My name is Takuya. My nickname is Tony. I am the Managing Director of Panasonic Energy (Thailand) Co., Ltd. I've been here for about 5 years. But this is my third time. About 30 years ago, when I was studying at Chulalongkorn University. Tony-san, what faculty did you study in? Faculty of Arts. Oh my. / But that's for foreigners, only 1 year. What about your actual educational background, not the Faculty of Arts? Faculty of Economics. Oh, Faculty of Economics. Before we go to the showroom, I want to show you something. For those who separate their waste, they will probably like this very much. It's heavy. I was going to carry it over there. Where can we find recycling bins like this? We cooperate with CP ALL 7-ELEVEN. Currently, there are 1,000 locations. We have installed Battery Collection Boxes in all 72 provinces. Because normally, when I want to dispose of flashlight batteries, I don't know where to put them. I want to separate my waste because I don't know if there are any toxic substances. In the past, I would go to Mega Bangna, and there would be collection points. But now there are at 7-ELEVEN, right? / Yes. Panasonic's. / Yes. Wow. Of the ones we collect for recycling, are some still usable? / No, they are not usable because they are used batteries. They are returned to our factory. And then sent to UMC Metals Ltd. for raw material recycling. They remove the chemical components, right? And the metal is reused. Everything is put into an electric furnace. Is it melted? / Yes, yes. And what is there to see in the showroom? We have all our products. We have Panasonic Evolta batteries, Panasonic Alkaline, and black Panasonic Manganese batteries. Here, when they display batteries, they also display the devices that use those batteries. Like TAMIYA cars. For toys / clocks, mice, etc. I really miss this model with the elephant. / Yes. I miss this color so much. They should bring it back for retro sales in the North and Northeast. And earlier, I saw at the front, there's something interesting. This place uses solar cells, right? About 10% of the energy used in the factory. 10% is quite a lot. The rest is using flashlight batteries. Plugged into a machine... Electricity is wasteful. Our factory is Carbon Neutrality PAS2060. This is an SGS Certificate Carbon Neutrality Factory. The product also has a Carbon Neutrality logo. Carbon neutrality. Actually, I must say that carbon is a very important issue. And when you make batteries here, do you export them anywhere? We export to more than 30 countries. Besides Thailand, we export to Japan and America. We also export to Asian countries like Malaysia and the Philippines. So, are we a primary producer of these batteries at a Thai factory? Yes. And how many years has this factory been established? In the year 2004 B.E., which is 63 years ago. But it's true. Since I was born, it's always been with us. Panasonic. This model is very beautiful. I remember this from when I was a child. Do you remember that before it was Panasonic, the brand name was National Panasonic? Before that, it was National. Children born now might be familiar with Panasonic, but this generation was born with National. Look at this. National is still here. Our old toys, or if you look at these batteries, they are still National, but the shape is similar. eneloop is also from here? It's Panasonic. eneloop rechargeable batteries are produced in Japan and imported. Alright, what do you have next to me? This is a gift. A gift? / For everyone. What is it called, Khun Nat? Japanese. Yes. / Oh my, you're cool. Let's continue. Thank you. These are our products manufactured here: Evolta batteries, alkaline batteries, and black manganese batteries, and elephant batteries. But I've taken them down now. They're pulling them back. Thank you very much. / Thank you. It's hard to let go. They're pulling so tightly, it seems like I won't get them. Khun Nat, please take it. Okay, thank you very much. This is considered a complete factory tour. It's a good role model. I want Panasonic to be a real role model. Regarding the end, giving us free gifts. Just kidding. About carbon zero, is that it? Thank you very much. Thank you, Tony-san. Thank you to the entire Panasonic team as well. Thank you very much.