Gold Peak
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Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Limited (GP) is an Asian batteryBattery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
manufacturer established in 1964 and based in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. They are also involved in the domestic appliance cabling business via purchasing 16% of the stock value Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
based Ling Xu Cabling Corp in 2001.
Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Limited (GP)
In 2000, Gold Peak acquired Lighthouse Technologies, a Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
-based LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
technology developer and manufacturer specialising in large-scale LED screens for indoor and outdoor use.
The European branch is based in Asten
Asten
Asten is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.It is home to the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry and also a carillon museum.- History :...
, The Netherlands and there are several smaller branches in the USA. GP Batteries International Limited (Singapore) II-53, GP BATTERY MARKETING (SINGAPORE) PTE. LIMITED and GPI INTERNATIONAL LIMITED. ASEAN are its Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...
branches. GPI INTERNATIONAL LIMITED. ASEAN exports to the ASEAN member nations, whilst GP Batteries International Limited (Singapore) II-53 covers all other North American and Asian exports outside of China, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
. GP BATTERY MARKETING (SINGAPORE) PTE. LIMITED is the marketing, sale management and publicity related division of the firm. Gold Peak Industries (Taiwan), Ltd. develops Li-on batteries and battery re-chargers.
The Hitaka Electron Co ltd was its main competitor in the Lithium button cell market in the Guangdong province of China.
GP's main product ranges
Products include GP Batteries (both primary, secondary and button cellButton cell
A watch battery or button cell is a small single cell battery shaped as a squat cylinder typically 5 to 12 mm in diameter and 1 to 6 mm high—like a button on a garment, hence the name. Button cells are used to power small portable electronics devices such as wrist watches, pocket...
s), GP PowerBank, and ReCyko, a low self discharge nickel metal hydride battery
Low self-discharge NiMH battery
The low self-discharge nickel-metal hydride battery was introduced in November 2005. These batteries were developed by Sanyo, who called them "eneloop". Subsequently, other manufacturers also offered LSD NiMH....
that, unlike ordinary NiMH batteries, is claimed to hold about 90% of their charge after six months and about 85% after a year. They are planning to make a major move in to the North American
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
rechargeable low self discharge nickel metal hydride battery
Low self-discharge NiMH battery
The low self-discharge nickel-metal hydride battery was introduced in November 2005. These batteries were developed by Sanyo, who called them "eneloop". Subsequently, other manufacturers also offered LSD NiMH....
market some time before 2015, though plans for this were first floated as early as 2001 and minor North American operations have occurred since. The also produce Nickel-Cadmium, Nickel Metal Hydride, Lithium Ion and Lithium Ion Polymer batteries for other markets in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to.
GP Batteries are used in Vectrix
Vectrix
Vectrix is an electric vehicle company based in Middletown, Rhode Island, United States, with research and development facilities in New Bedford, Massachusetts...
electric scooters, domestic applances, motorised toys and game consoles.
It also makes portable solar charger
Solar charger
thumb|right|150px|Solar charger integrated into a backpackSolar charger employs solar energy to supply electricity to devices or charge batteries. They are generally portable....
s.
Loudspeakers KEF
KEF
KEF is a British-based loudspeaker manufacturer with international distribution.It was founded in Tovil, Maidstone, Kent in 1961 by electrical engineer Raymond Cooke and named after Kent Engineering & Foundry which previously occupied the site....
.
Lighthouse Technologies
The former firm Lighthouse Technologies was a leading LEDLEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
technology developer, manufacturer and global supplier of state-of-the-art LED modular video panels, which can be assembled into large scale video screens for indoor and outdoor use. Specializing in the research and manufacture of LED screens, Lighthouse Technologies has its own intellectual properties with more than 10 active patents worldwide.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
still is the focal point for Lighthouse Technologies after it was bought out by Gold Peak as its head office, with R&D and manufacturing facilities located in both Hong Kong and Southern China. The firm has accrued has a multinational skills based team, incorporating both sales and technical talents from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, USA, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, and the Asia Pacific region, from very diverse cultural and technological backgrounds resulting in a global company that is still sensitive to local market demands and culture.
Lighthouse Technologies' main products
- LED Panels (Rental)
- LED Panels (Signage)
- LED display control equipment
- LEDLEdLEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
s, and related lighting units and illumination equipment
Cadmium poisoning case
Workers at GP factories have been routinely exposed to CadmiumCadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Similar to zinc, it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and similar to mercury it shows a low...
dust, an extremely toxic chemical used in the manufacture of batteries. Cadmium poisoning
Cadmium poisoning
Cadmium is an extremely toxic metal commonly found in industrial workplaces. Due to its low permissible exposure limit, overexposures may occur even in situations where trace quantities of cadmium are found. Cadmium is used extensively in electroplating, although the nature of the operation does...
can cause kidney failure, lung cancer and bone disease due to the repercussions of the chemical being inhaled.
Workers sue GP
In 2006 more than 100 female factory workers in southern China attempted to sue their former employers (GP) over suspected cadmium poisoning. Three people have reportedly died as a result of the cadmium poisoning, and others have fallen ill.Protesting workers beaten up
August 24th 2010, over a hundred workers protested outside GP’s factory in Huizhou. On the same day, at around 11:30 pm, several workers' representatives were surrounded and beaten up by about 300 attackers whose identities were unknown. GP had promised compensation to workers affected by poisoning but severely reduced the negotiated amount offering a "take it or leave it" situation. When this proposition was rejected by the protesters they were set upon by the mob.Documentary
Karin Mak’s documentary Red Dust follows female workers fighting for medical care from their former employer, China’s GP Batteries factory, after suffering years of cadmium poisoning.See also
- FlashlightFlashlightA flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
- Eveready East AfricaEveready East AfricaEveready East Africa is an affiliate of the American Eveready Battery Company. Founded in 1967 and based in Nakuru, it is one of Africa's largest battery manufacturers and is listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange.-External links:* *...
- Ucar batteries
- British Ever Ready Electrical Company
- P. R. Mallory and Co IncP. R. Mallory and Co IncP. R. Mallory and Co Inc was a US producer of dry cell batteries , electronic components including electrolytic capacitors, and audible warning devices , it also was the parent firm of Mallory Batteries Ltd., an Irish producer of Ever Ready batteries...
- UnirossUnirossUniross is a Paris based international battery and battery accessory manufacturer. It founded in the UK in 1968. It makes and sells rechargeable batteries and battery chargers under the brand names Encore, UltraLast and Uniross....