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Asian Battery Conference

Agenda

2-5 September 2025 | Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Tuesday, 2 September 2025

Arrivals

1:00 pm – 6:15 pm

Registration

Registration will be available in the Ballroom Foyer at Hilton Kota Kinabalu.

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Welcome Reception
Join us for our first networking event of 21ABC.
The Welcome Event will be held at Waterfront, Kota Kinabalu (KK Waterfront)

Transfers will depart from Hilton Kota Kinabalu driveway and The Holiday Inn Express Kota Kinabalu City Centre driveway commencing 5:40 pm with return transfers back to both hotels available from 7:00 pm on a constant loop.

For those delegates staying at Marriott Kota Kinabalu, KK Waterfront is located adjacent to the hotel. Please make the short walk across to KK Waterfront to attend the Welcome Event.

Wednesday, 3 September 2025

Conference Day 1

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Registration

Session Chair
Mark Stevenson, CEO, Global Lead Technologies

9:00 am – 9:10 am

Welcome to 21ABC

Mark Stevenson – Technical Director, Global Lead Technologies

9:10 am – 9:35 am

Fight or Flight for Lead in the Battle of the Batteries?

James Griffiths – Analyst – Base Metals, CRU

9:35 am – 10:00 am

Tariffs, Technology, Regulation and Subsidies – Determinants of Lead Demand

Kevin Clarke – Principal Analyst – Lead Markets, Wood Mackenzie, United Kingdom

10:00 am – 10:25 am

A Global Battery Market Outlook to 2030, Providing a Detailed Analysis of Various Applications and Technologies Across Key Geographic Regions

Martin Seban – Senior Consultant, KPMG

10:25 am – 10:50 am

Managing Metal Price in an Uncertain World

Edric Koh – Head of Corporate Client Development, APAC, London Metal Exchange

10:50 am – 11:10 am

Morning Tea

Session Chair
Alistair Davidson, Executive Director, Consortium for Battery Innovation

11:10 am – 11:35 am

From Legacy to New Markets – the Need for Lead Batteries in ESS and Stationary Applications

Dr Matthew Raiford – Senior Technical Director, CBI

11:35 am – 12:00 pm

Immediate and Long-Term Prospects and Challenges for Lead

Joao Jorge – Director of Market Research and Statistics, International Lead and Zinc Study Group

12:00 pm – 12:25 pm

Evolution: Enabling VRLA AGM Performance with Cost Advantage to a Lead Battery System

Naoto Miyake – Asia Technical Director, Daramic LLC

 

Diamond Sponsor:

 

12:25 pm – 12:50 pm

EFB Additive Solution to Extend Cycle Performance

Pengfei Cui – Project Manager & Senior Engineer, Shandong Jinkeli Power Sources Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Gold Sponsor:

12:50 pm – 1:40 pm

Lunch

Sponsored by:

Session Chair
Ben Craft, VP Engineering, Gridtential Energy

1:40 pm – 2:05 pm

Innovations in Red Lead – Enhancing Battery Formation Efficiency and Structural Control with Functionalised Oxides

Dr Rainer Bussar – Head of R&D, PENOX GmbH

2:05 pm – 2:30 pm

New Generation Lead-Acid Batteries – Advancements in Achieving Ultra-Low Internal Resistance in Lead-Acid Batteries

Kalyana Sundaram – Technical Manager, Eternity Technologies

Dr Mark Stevenson – CEO, Eternity Technologies

2:30 pm – 2:55 pm

Solar Hybrid Case Study and Optimisation

Dr Michael Glenn – Principal Technical Development Manager, Battery Energy Power Solutions

2:55 pm – 3:20 pm

High End Lead Acid Batteries to Support Latest Automotive Power Train (Battery Design and Engineering for Improved Efficiency)

Anjan Roy – Sr. DGM-OEM-R&D (4W), Exide Industries Limited

3:20 pm – 3:40 pm

Afternoon Tea

Session Chair
Farid Ahmed, VP Global Strategy & Business Development, ACE Green Recycling

Supplier Showcase

3:40 pm – 4:00 pm

High Efficient Modular Machine Design for AGM and SLI Battery Production Lines

Michael Wipperfürth – Vice President Sales, CMWTEC Technologies

4:00 pm – 4:20 pm

Advanced Methods and Equipment for Modern Battery Manufacturing

John W. Wirtz II – President, Wirtz Manufacturing Company

4:20 pm – 4:40 pm

Beyond the Assembly Line: Automation Technologies Shaping the Future of Lead Battery Manufacturing

Rob Desborough – International Sales Manager, TBS Engineering

4:40 pm – 5:00 pm

Enhancing Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in Battery Manufacturing: a Review of ANDRITZ Sovema Equipment

Francesco Capuzzo – Sales & Marketing Director, ANDRITZ Sovema

Thursday, 4 September 2025

Conference Day 2

Session Chair
Andy Bush, Executive Director, International Lead Association

9:00 am – 9:25 am

Lead-Acid Batteries in Asia

Dr Dong Li – Founder, Leoch International Technology Limited

9:25 am – 9:50 am

North American Battery Market Dynamics: Policy Shifts and Market Trends

Roger Miksad – President & Executive Director, Battery Council International

9:50 am – 10:15 am

The Antimony Price Rise Crisis – a Lower Cost Pathway for Lead-Acid Batteries

Dr Michael McDonagh – Chief Technical Officer, Microtex Energy

10:15 am – 10:40 am

A Comparison of All-Glass and Hybrid AGM

Dr Richard Pekala – Chief Technology Officer, ENTEK Technology Holdings

 

Platinum and Gala Dinner Sponsor:

10:40 am – 11:00 am

Morning Tea

11:00 am

Session Chair
Tiger Ming Zhang, China Sales Manager, Energy Storage Publishing Consultant, CBI Senior Consultant, CIAPS (China Industrial Association of Power Sources)

11:00 am – 11:25 am

The Role of Additives in Auxiliary and Energy Storage Batteries

Dr Francisco Trinidad – Independent Consultant

11:25 am – 11:50 am

An Approach to Increase Negative Charge Acceptance and Reduce Water Loss at the Same Time

Enqin Gao – Director of Research & Development, Hammond Group

 

Gold sponsor:

11:50 am – 12:15 pm

Changing Market Dynamics of Battery Scrap Recycling in India

Vijay Pareek – Executive Director, Gravita India Limited

 

Gold Sponsor:

12:15 pm – 12:40 pm

WaveTech’s Innovative CCT® and BARS® Technologies: a Second Life for Stationary AGM VRLA Batteries With Premature Capacity Loss

Dr Boris Monahov – Chief Science Officer, WaveTech Group

Dag Valand – Chief Executive Officer, Wavetech Group

12:40 pm – 1:30 pm

Lunch

Session Chair
Susan E. Bernard, Vice President, Government Relations & Sustainability & Director, Women in the Global Battery Industry, Battery Council International

1:30 pm – 1:55 pm

Transforming Lead-Acid Battery Performance: Enabling Short-Time Constant Current Charging via Lead–Carbon Composite Incorporation

Associate Professor Shu-Huei Hsieh – Vice President for Research and Development, National Formosa University

1:55 pm – 2:20 pm

Monitoring Remote and Mobile Battery Applications Using Cloud-Based Analytics

Donald Karner – President, Watchdog International

Dr Frank Fleming – Technical Consultant, Watchdog International

Dr Russell Newnham – Technical Consultant, Watchdog International

2:20 pm – 2:45 pm

Application of Inelastic Neutron Scattering to Understand Lignosulfonate Stability and Lead Battery Failure Mechanisms

Dr Carter Abney – Technical Application Manager, Borregaard

2:45 pm – 3:10 pm

Prolong Operation Time of VRLA Batteries by Using High Performance Valve Technology

KD Merz – VP Technology; Council Member, Abertax Technologies

3:10 pm – 3:30 pm

Afternoon Tea

Session Chair
Eckhard Karden, Consultant

3:30 pm – 3:55 pm

Emerging Trends and Future Prospects for Thin Tubular/Advance/Smart Lead-Acid Technology

Amlan Kanti Das – SVP- Operations and R&D, Luminous Power Technologies

3:55 pm – 4:20 pm

Impact of Different Laboratory Test Conditions on Float Charging Life at Elevated Temperatures for VRLA Batteries

Henry Zhu – Chief Operating Officer, Hoppecke Battery System Wuhan

4:20 pm – 4:45 pm

The Effect of Carbon Aerogel on Improving the Expander and NAM Performance of Lead-Acid Batteries

Ali Alagheband – Technical Manager, Sarv Sanat Toos (SST Co.)

4:45 pm – 5:10 pm

Lead-Acid Batteries in Transition: Navigating Market Dynamics Through Technological Innovation and Strategic Globalization – a Case Study of Alpha Beta AGM Separator Technologies

Xiaofei (Helen) Jiang – Marketing Director, Alpha Beta Fiberglass Product

6:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Gala Dinner

Get ready for the star attraction of 21ABC—our highlight social event!

Sponsored by

Join us for an unforgettable evening along the beachfront at the luxurious Shangri-La Tanjung Aru in Kota Kinabalu.

Friday, 5 September 2025

Conference Day 3

Session Chair
L Pugazhenthy, Executive Director, India Lead Zinc Development Association

9:00 am – 9:25 am

Research on the Whole Industrial Chain Operation of Battery Manufacturing in Technology, Industry and Trade Integrated Enterprises

Delp Zheng – Director of Marketing Center, Better Technology Group Limited

Terry Wang – Sales & Marketing Director, Better Technology Group Limited

 

Platinum Sponsor:

9:25 am – 9:50 am

Research Goals: A Look at the New CBI Technical Roadmap and Technical Program

Dr Begüm Bozkaya – Senior Technical Manager, CBI

9:50 am – 10:15 am

Benchmarking Automotive Lead-Acid Battery Technologies – A Comparative Analysis of AGM and EFB Systems with New Data Insights

Martin Wieger – General Manager, Austrian Battery Research Laboratory

Micha Kirchgessner – Manager R&D Electrochemical Laboratory, PENOX GmbH

10:15 am – 10:40 am

Flooded vs AGM Batteries: Understanding the Differences for Micro-Hybrid Applications

Sundar Mayavan – Senior Principal Scientist, Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR)

10:40 am – 11:00 am

Morning Tea

Session Chair
Andrew Liu, Chief Representative, CHR Metals Limited

11:00 am – 11:25 am

Discussion on the Characteristics and Potential Applications of Sodium-ion Batteries

Shouzhong Yi – Head of Product R&D, Battery Solutions, Wuxi Paragonage Technology

11:25 am – 11:50 am

Optimizing NAM Structure with Additive Formulation for Enhanced Performance in Lead-Acid Batteries for Auxiliary Applications

Dr Sreedhar Naidu Doraswamy – Dy. Manager R&D – Materials, AmaraRaja Energy & Mobility Limited

11:50 am – 12:15 pm

Mass Production Applications of Glass Fiber Pasting Paper and Breakthrough Research on Glass Fiber Separators for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Xiaoying Du – General Manager, Hua Yang Industry Co. Ltd, China

12:15 pm – 1:15 pm

Lunch

 

Session Chair
Hywel Jarman, Senior Director of Communications, International Lead Association

In depth with the Experts

1:15 pm – 1:40 pm

Resilience Through Innovation: How MOLECULAR REBAR® Strengthens Battery Manufacturing in Unstable Markets

Dr Paul Everill – Chief Technology Officer, Black Diamond Structures

Dr Nanjan Sugumaran – Independent Consultant, Black Diamond Structures

Mohamed Sharif – Sales Director, Black Diamond Structures

Pratchaya Senangnart – Application Development Manager, Black Diamond Structures

1:40 pm – 2:05 pm

Towards Unlocking the Full Potential of AGM-VRLA Battery for Energy Storage Solution

Antara Bhattacharjee – Assistant Manager – Reserve Power, VRLA R&D II Operations, Exide Industries Limited

Suspanda Garai – Deputy Manager – Telecom & Solar, VRLA R&D II Operations, Exide Industries Limited

Dr Sagar Sengupta – Technology Head – VRLA Standby II Operations, Exide Industries Limited

Partha Dasgupta – Sr. VP & Head of R&D II Operations, Exide Industries Limited

2:05 pm – 2:30 pm

Revolutionizing Lead-Acid Battery Electrodes with Glass Electrode Material (GEM)

Shane Christie – Chief Technology Officer, ArcActive

Kodimole Mahadevappa Mahadevaswamy – Senior Scientist – Battery Separator R&D, Hollingsworth & Vose

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Panel Session – Meeting with the Experts

Hywel Jarman – Senior Director of Communications, International Lead Association

Dr Paul Everill – Chief Technology Officer, Black Diamond Structures

Dr Carter Abney – Technical Application Manager, Borregaard

Ali Alagheband – Technical Manager, Sarv Sanat Toos (SST Co.)

Antara Bhattacharjee – Assistant Manager – Reserve Power, VRLA R&D II Operations, Exide Industries Limited

Shane Christie – Chief Technology Officer, ArcActive

3:00 pm – 3:15 pm

Conference Close