Chinese material supplier Huitian Adhesive Enterprise announced on September 24 that a new production line operated by its subsidiary in Changzhou has successfully completed equipment installation and pilot production. Spanning an area of 3,000 square meters, the production line in Changzhou will be manufacturing the cell backsheet films that are used in the encapsulation of PV modules. In its public notice about this event, Huitian stated that the films made at the new production line have met the necessary quality standard, and the mass production phase will soon commence. Changzhou is a city located in China’s Jiangsu Province.

According to the company’s notice, the new production line is expected to raise the company’s annual production capacity for cell backsheet film by more than 60% to 80 million square meters. This amount will be sufficient to meet the encapsulation demand from around 18GW of PV products, thereby bringing relief to the tight supply situation in the downstream portion of the supply chain at this moment.

The production line in Changzhou adopts a smart control system that manages the whole manufacturing process from the input of feedstock materials to the output of finished products. The company said that the smart control system offers a significant technological advantage. In response to the increasing popularity of bifacial PV modules, Huitian has designed its new production line to allow the manufacturing of both the conventional cell backsheet film and the transparent cell backsheet film for bifacial modules. Serving as a foundation for building up the production capacity for the bifacial cell backsheet film, the new production line will be critical to Huitian’s strategy. It will help the company strengthen its technological and production capabilities. This, in turn, will help company expand its market share in the field of new energy solutions. The company told local media outlets that the production line in Changzhou will improve its overall competitiveness and contribute to its dominance in the PV sector.

Originally established by the government of Hubei Province in 1977, Huitian supplies various sealants, adhesives, encapsulation materials to PV module manufacturers. The company also has extensive product line-ups for a wide range of applications including appliances, automotive components, LED lighting, high-speed railway etc. Its production facilities are dotted across several Chinese provinces. JA Solar, Panasonic, Nissan, and GE are among its major clients.