Ningbo Battery
Sonluk (Ningbo Battery) is a Chinese alkaline battery maker founded in 1954, one of the world's largest producers of alkaline cells.
Last updated September 27, 2026
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Overview
Sonluk, known in English as Ningbo Battery and legally as Zhongyin (Ningbo) Battery Co., Ltd. (中银（宁波）电池有限公司), is a Chinese battery manufacturer headquartered in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. Its history reaches back to 4 November 1954, when the Ningbo Jiangbei Battery Production Cooperative was founded in a three-storey attic on Zhongma Road in Ningbo's Jiangbei district. Over seven decades the enterprise grew into one of China's leading alkaline battery producers, and the Sonluk (双鹿) brand became a household name for dry cells in the domestic market. The company's core business is the research, development, production and sale of alkaline and carbon-zinc dry batteries, together with button cells and specialty batteries. According to its corporate profile, it operates more than 40 alkaline battery production lines with proprietary intellectual property and an annual capacity exceeding 5.5 billion cells, and it describes its output as ranking third globally and first in Asia among alkaline battery makers. Its product range also extends to lithium primary batteries, lithium-ion and lithium iron phosphate rechargeable batteries, and battery-related electrical appliances. Manufacturing is organized around three production bases: the Sonluk Technology City park in Ningbo's high-tech zone, the Jinshan Sonluk smart factory, and an overseas plant in Vietnam that opened around 2020. The company has invested heavily in automation, including a fully unmanned "lights-out" alkaline battery line introduced in 2016 and a 5G smart factory program developed with partners such as Huawei and China Unicom, featuring 5G+AI visual inspection of bare cells. It holds hundreds of patents and operates a provincial chemical power source engineering technology research center and a national-level postdoctoral workstation. Sonluk sells through a nationwide Chinese distribution network and exports to more than 80 countries and territories, with an international subsidiary in the United States. In 2019 it registered the international brand VONIKO to pursue own-brand globalization, and VONIKO batteries have since become a popular battery brand on Amazon in the United States. The company has also worked as an OEM manufacturer, and its products have been marketed under the Pairdeer brand. In 2002 the Polish Wikipedia entry reports that an acquisition of Ningbo Battery by Gold Peak was announced. Beyond batteries, Sonluk is known for marketing partnerships and corporate social responsibility. It sponsored the Bayi men's basketball team for 18 consecutive seasons beginning in 2000, and more recently became the China-region official partner of the Argentina national football team. It runs the Sonluk Battery Charitable Foundation, founded in 2005, and has supported a Hope School in Guizhou province. The company marked its 70th anniversary in 2024 with the slogan of "70 years devoted to making one good battery."
History
The enterprise that became Sonluk began on 4 November 1954, when the Ningbo Jiangbei Battery Production Cooperative was established in a three-storey attic at No. 35 Zhongma Road in Ningbo's Jiangbei district. In 1962 the operation moved to Yunshi Street in Ningbo and adopted the production slogan "strive to extend every minute of discharge time." A quarter-century later, in 1987, the Ningbo Battery Factory left its Yunshi Street site after 25 years and relocated entirely to the Duantang plant area. A decisive turning point came in 1993, when the company formed the joint venture Zhongyin (Ningbo) Battery Co., Ltd. and formally introduced an alkaline battery production line; the first Sonluk alkaline battery was produced the following year. In 1998 Ningbo Battery & Electric Appliance Import and Export Co., Ltd. was established, and two years later Ningbo Sonluk Economic and Trade Co., Ltd. followed, marking a push into both domestic and international markets and the construction of a large sales network. In 2000 the brand began an 18-season title sponsorship of the Bayi men's basketball team, which helped cement its reputation for powerful, long-lasting batteries. In 2005 Sonluk's independently developed alkaline "digital king" battery and its production line won a National Science and Technology Progress Award, Second Class. That same year the company organized the Sonluk Battery Charitable Foundation and supported the construction of a Hope School in Bijiao Village, Maochang Town, Guizhou province. In 2008 the company moved to the Sonluk Technology City in Ningbo's high-tech zone, becoming a leading alkaline battery production base. In 2016 Sonluk's first self-developed unmanned "lights-out" alkaline battery production line went into operation. In 2019 the company registered the international brand VONIKO, beginning a strategy of own-brand globalization; VONIKO batteries subsequently became one of the more popular battery brands on Amazon in the United States. In 2020 the Sonluk Vietnam factory was officially opened, creating a multinational structure spanning the Sonluk Technology City park, the Jinshan Sonluk smart factory, and the Vietnam overseas plant. In 2022 the Jinshan Sonluk smart factory was put into use, and the company's 400th alkaline battery was produced. In 2024 Sonluk celebrated its 70th anniversary under the theme "70 years devoted to making one good battery." According to the Polish Wikipedia entry, the company was founded in 1993 as Zhongyin (Ningbo) Battery Co., Ltd., reached a production capacity of up to 5 billion alkaline batteries per year on 43 production lines, and in 2002 an acquisition of Ningbo Battery by Gold Peak was announced. Its products have also been marketed under the Pairdeer brand, and the company has developed OEM manufacturing as well. The corporate profile states that Sonluk's capacity ranks third globally and first in Asia, with annual output of up to 5.5 billion cells, and that it aims to remain China's number-one battery brand and a global benchmark for alkaline battery quality and technology.
- 2024
70th anniversary celebration.
- 2022
Jinshan smart factory put into use; 400th alkaline battery produced.
- 2020
Vietnam factory officially opened, forming a multinational production structure.
- 2019
Registered international brand VONIKO, starting own-brand globalization.
- 2016
First self-developed unmanned lights-out alkaline battery line put into use.
- 2008
Moved to Sonluk Technology City in Ningbo high-tech zone.
- 2005
Alkaline digital king battery and line won National Science and Technology Progress Award, Second Class; Sonluk Battery Charitable Foundation founded.
- 2002
Acquisition of Ningbo Battery by Gold Peak announced (per Polish Wikipedia).
- 2000
Began 18-season title sponsorship of the Bayi men's basketball team.
- 1998
Ningbo Battery & Electric Appliance Import and Export Co., Ltd. founded.
Products and positioning
Mass-market and premium alkaline battery brand positioned as a leading Chinese battery maker with global scale, emphasizing long shelf life, green mercury-free production, and smart manufacturing.
Alkaline batteries
Core product line, including LR6/AA and related sizes; produced on 40+ proprietary lines with annual capacity over 5.5 billion cells.
Carbon-zinc batteries
Economical long-lasting dry cells.
Button cells
High-capacity, efficient button batteries.
Specialty batteries
Professional batteries with superior performance.
Smart-lock batteries
Batteries marketed for smart locks; company claims national No.1 sales.
VONIKO brand batteries
International own brand registered in 2019, popular on Amazon US.
Lithium primary, lithium-ion and lithium iron phosphate batteries
Rechargeable and primary lithium chemistries, per company and Wikipedia descriptions.
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