The world alkaline battery market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3 percent to 4 percent.
Wide-spread usage of alkaline batteries in the developed regions, such as the United States and western European countries, contributes to the steady demand for these batteries. Moreover, developing countries such as China, Russia, Poland, Brazil, Argentina and Kenya, among others, offer strong growth potential for this market. Although the threat from primary lithium battery chemistry and rechargeable chemistries exist, alkaline batteries offer satisfactory performance at an affordable cost in all developed countries. Hence, these batteries generate nearly 65 percent of the revenues of the primary battery chemistry market.
Usage of alkaline batteries for low-drain applications offers commendable performance with very low replacement rate. Low-drain applications include flashlights, portable radios, alarm clocks, remote controls, toys and the like. Low-drain applications dominate the alkaline battery market. Owing to the low battery replacement rate for low-drain applications, this segment witnesses a low compound annual growth rate compared with the high-drain and other applications. Other uses include medical, industrial, defense and military, among others. Medical applications use alkaline batteries as power source in specific types of infusion pumps, pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitors, electronic thermometers and the like. Industrial applications of alkaline batteries involve usage in smoke alarms, portable transmitters, scanners, digital voltmeters, door locks, remote controls and laser pointers. Military and Defense application include usage of alkaline batteries in SINCGARS, man pack radios and also in GPS systems.
