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At a Glance
Career Timeline — 23 years across five battery manufacturers
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2024.05 – present · XIAMEN TOB NEW ENERGY TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd.
Technical Director — reporting to the General Manager. Cell product design to customer specification across NMC/LFP chemistries and cylindrical, pouch and prismatic formats, plus sodium-ion and primary lithium thionyl chloride cells. Process route design and standardisation, equipment specification and DOE-based commissioning, and complete facility design for laboratory, pilot and mass-production lines — including cleanroom, dehumidification, utilities and monitoring systems.
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2022.04 – 2024.05 · NIO (Weilai Automobile Technology)
Cell Process Expert, Battery Manufacturing Department. Large-cylindrical cell process ownership: design-for-manufacturability review, process validation and optimisation, mass-production equipment specification and acceptance. Also worked as process expert embedded with suppliers to raise their manufacturing capability, yield and OEE.
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2021.07 – 2022.04 · SVOLT Energy Technology
Production Process Director (2022.01–04) — 4 direct reports, 130-person department. Prismatic cell and module process optimisation, yield and capacity improvement.
Process Development Director (2021.07–12) — 4680/4690/4695 large-cylindrical process development, from design-for-manufacturability through to production line planning. -
2018.05 – 2021.06 · Changzhou Microvast Electronic Technology
Manufacturing Engineering Manager — 8 direct reports. Built the production line for micro pin-type and coin cells from nothing, developed the manufacturing process, and worked with equipment suppliers to create machines that did not previously exist for this product type.
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2007.09 – 2018.03 · Changzhou Gaobo Energy Materials — A123 Systems China
Process Engineering Manager (2010.05–2018.04, 20 direct reports) and Production / Process Engineer (2007.09–2010.05). Cylindrical power cell process development and production implementation, new product introduction, APQP and PPAP documentation, and the Formula 1 battery programme.
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2003.07 – 2007.09 · Shenzhen BAK Battery
Process Section Chief, Manufacturing Division 5 — 10 direct reports. Progressed from R&D engineer to cylindrical cell process engineer to section chief. Process owner for the LFP power cell programme run jointly with A123 Systems of the United States; the line entered production in June 2005 and passed initial audits by Motorola and General Motors.
Project Delivery Record
Selected programmes where Neil Zhao held process or project ownership. Each entry states his role and the measurable outcome.
- ▸Led the team that built A123's Formula 1 battery production line from the ground up.
- ▸Took the racing battery from R&D into production: defined every process step and parameter, and co-ordinated the equipment modifications required to make the design manufacturable.
- ▸Owned process improvement, quality control, production management and cost analysis for the programme.
- ▸Identified process risks through the cell development cycle and optimised manufacturing to reduce them.
- ▸Worked directly with suppliers to improve process capability on critical operations and raise yield.
- ▸Ran high-risk problem analysis during production and fed corrections back into both design and process.
- ▸Owned process development and contributed to product structure and design.
- ▸Maintained process and quality through A-sample production; established the complete manufacturing route.
- ▸Supported pilot-line equipment selection and production line planning.
- ▸Because the product design differed from everything else on the market, the entire manufacturing process had to be designed from first principles.
- ▸Built a completely new coin and pin cell line, developing new equipment jointly with suppliers.
- ▸Established and validated the process route, and resolved R&D and process issues through to production.
- ▸Overall project planning and schedule ownership, process flow design, line layout and equipment selection.
- ▸Equipment modification, installation and commissioning; DOE confirmation of process parameters.
Technical Focus
- ▸Cell product design — NMC and LFP, cylindrical / pouch / prismatic formats, sodium-ion and primary lithium thionyl chloride
- ▸Process route design, standardisation and technical documentation
- ▸Equipment specification, acceptance, commissioning and DOE parameter confirmation
- ▸Battery factory design — laboratory, pilot and mass-production lines, including cleanroom, dehumidification, utilities and monitoring
- ▸Production line construction and project implementation
- ▸Troubleshooting for customer production lines
Education
Central South University — B.Eng., Metallurgical Engineering (1999.08 – 2003.06). Central South University is one of China's principal research centres for metallurgy and new-energy materials. TOB NEW ENERGY founder Dany Huang, Ph.D. studied metallurgy at the same university.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Neil Zhao’s main areas of process engineering work?
Six areas: cell product design across NMC and LFP chemistries in cylindrical, pouch and prismatic formats plus sodium-ion and primary lithium thionyl chloride; process route design, standardisation and technical documentation; equipment specification, acceptance, commissioning and DOE parameter confirmation; battery factory design covering cleanroom, dehumidification, utilities and monitoring; production line construction and project implementation; and troubleshooting on customer production lines. Methodologies applied include APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, DOE, Six Sigma and 8D analysis.
What was his role in the Formula 1 racing battery programme?
At A123 Systems China he was manufacturing lead for the Formula 1 battery programme from 2010 to 2018. He led the team that built the production line from the ground up, took the racing battery from R&D into production by defining every process step and parameter, co-ordinated the equipment modifications needed to make the design manufacturable, and owned process improvement, quality control and cost analysis. The line has shipped new variants annually since 2010, and approximately two-thirds of the Formula 1 grid runs on batteries from it. This work was performed at A123 Systems and is presented as career history, not as a claim of current commercial relationship with TOB NEW ENERGY.
What experience does he have with 4680 large-cylindrical cells?
At SVOLT Energy Technology he owned process development for 4680 / 4690 / 4695 large-cylindrical cells, covering design-for-manufacturability through to production line planning. He established the complete manufacturing route, maintained process and quality through A-sample production, and supported pilot-line equipment selection. A-samples were delivered to BMW with safety and performance testing meeting customer requirements. Performed at SVOLT as career history.
What was his contribution to the 360 Wh/kg cell programme?
As cell manufacturing process owner at NIO from 2022 to 2024, he identified process risks through the development cycle and optimised manufacturing to reduce them, worked directly with suppliers to raise process capability and yield on critical operations, and ran high-risk problem analysis during production with corrections fed back into both design and process. The 360 Wh/kg programme completed with cells manufactured and yield and process capability meeting target. Performed at NIO as career history.
Has he built production lines for cell types that had no existing equipment?
Yes. At Changzhou Microvast the coin and pin cell product design differed from everything else on the market, so the entire manufacturing process had to be designed from first principles and new equipment developed jointly with suppliers. The work designed around an overseas company’s coin cell patent monopoly, with several patents filed on the resulting methods; the product reached mass-production quality and was supplied to a Chinese handset maker for premium TWS earbuds. Performed at Changzhou Microvast as career history.
Can he design a complete battery factory, not just the process?
Yes — facility design is part of the technical director role at TOB NEW ENERGY, covering laboratory, pilot and mass-production lines including cleanroom, dehumidification, utilities and monitoring systems. On the 18650 line project he held overall project planning and schedule ownership, process flow design, line layout and equipment selection, then equipment modification, installation, commissioning and DOE confirmation of parameters — reaching mass production at above 90% yield and passing audit by a medical device customer.
How many production lines has he built from scratch?
Five, across 23 years and five battery manufacturers — including the A123 Formula 1 racing battery line, the Microvast coin and pin cell line, and the 18650 line at Changzhou Gaobo. His career began at Shenzhen BAK in 2003, where he was process owner for the LFP power cell programme run jointly with A123 Systems of the United States; that line entered production in June 2005 and passed initial audits by Motorola and General Motors. All of this work was performed at the employers named above and is presented as career history, not as a claim of current commercial relationship with TOB NEW ENERGY.
Cell design, process validation or line construction — technical questions go to the engineering team.
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