TOP 10 – GIGAFACTORIES

CATL

COMPANY: CATL CEO: ROBIN ZENG LOCATION: LIYANG, CHINA CAPACITY: 126 GWH WATCH NOW

Inside the journey of a battery cell

’ s Liyang facility has transitioned from mass production to what the company calls“ extreme manufacturing”. Since its designation as a Lighthouse Factory, it has seen a 320 % increase in output and a 33 % reduction in manufacturing costs.

While the industry standard for defects is measured in parts per million, Liyang operates at parts per billion. It uses computer vision for micron-level inspection. Every single cell is photographed using highspeed 3D cameras and assessed with AI edge computing to inspect welds at a micron level.

In some of CATL’ s advanced lines, a single battery cell is produced every one second and an entire battery pack is assembled in under three minutes. To stay flexible, the facility uses additive manufacturing and virtual simulations to create and test new fixtures. Traditionally, changing a production line for a new battery model takes weeks but here, it is done in days.

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48 March 2026