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Why Graphite Could Be The Hottest Commodity Of 2022

BayStreet.ca - Thu Jan 6, 2022

The $3-trillion EV market needs batteries that are 20-30% graphite–a material the U.S. currentlydoesn’t produce at all.

That makes graphite a matter of national security in the global energy race.

Each EV battery requires not only lithium–a metal that investors are very interested in–but even more graphite, the metal that prevents the lithium batteries from breaking down.

Yet, the U.S. hasn’t produced any graphite for decades.

Now, with the EV market starting to explode, and automakers and battery manufacturers expected to consume far more than ever, we’re looking at a nightmarish graphite supply chain that is mostly dependent on China–but not necessarily on the Chinese.

Currently, China is one of the few countries with graphite processing facilities, but one of the leading producers in the world is an international company with both a North American technology and production arm and wholly owned Chinese subsidiaries and expert team operating since 2008. And it’s parked right next to the largest graphite mine in the world, in China allowing it to secure this critical supply today while growing with the explosive demand of tomorrow.

The company is Graphex Group Ltd (OTCQX: GRFXY, 6128.HK), and we think it’s one of the key companies set to benefit from agraphite market that is expected to continue towards a valuation of $22 billion and which Benchmark Mineral Intelligence predicts will be in shortage by the New Year.

Our Pick For The Most Compelling Graphite Story

Both the United States and the European Union have now declared graphite a “supply critical mineral”.

Over 70% of all graphite is produced in China. And even that output may be uncertain as gigafactory demand dictates a supply crunch. China remains dominant and even got a boost from the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw it very quickly recover from production facility closures, ensuring that the supply chain did not see any real diversification.

The math looks simple. With the majority of the graphite mined in the world coming out of China, and all anodes in EV batteries or energy storage components requiring graphite, whoever is manufacturing around the world has to utilize this material.

Most of these battery manufacturers are Asian, so whether they are made in Korea or Japan, much of the graphite originates or is processed in China. From there, it either gets further processed in China or it moves to South Korea or Japan for Panasonic or LG, for instance, which make certain parts of the battery.

For North American investors who may have no way to get in on the looming graphite shortage outside of China, Graphex could make for quite a compelling story.

And now Graphex is looking to jump into the U.S. market just as manufacturers may be about to feel a supply chain squeeze.

Graphex are veteran graphite processors with major long-term contracts in China, and they’re expecting double-digit demand growth over the next five years.

We think market fundamentals back that up perfectly.

American EV sales are expected to come in at 450,000 for 2021. Year-to-date sales through November were up 88% compared to 2020, and the New Year is gearing up for an even bigger surge as new models flood the marketplace. AutoPacific forecasts EV sales at 650,000 next year, for another 45% increase.

Globally, the numbers are even more impressive.

EV sales more than doubled in 2021, even as overall car sales dropped under pandemic pressure.

Giant Ford (NYSE:F) plans to produce up to 600,000 EVs a year globally by the end of 2023. That is already twice what it originally intended. Ford’s F-150 pickup truck broke sales records, and the automaker is now gearing up to build three battery factories and an electric truck plant.

By 2025, we expect to see an astounding 13 new battery gigafactories coming to the U.S. alone.

Considering that there is more graphite in an EV battery than there is lithium, we’re anticipating a major demand surge for this “supply critical mineral”.


For this battery material, it’s all about processing, and it’s not a market to easily entertain newcomers. The barrier to entry is technologically very high.

Graphex (OTCQX: GRFXY, 6128.HK) is already well known in China. It’s not only one of the top five graphite producing companies in China … it’s one of the top globally.

Set up right next to the largest graphite mine in the world, Graphex is producing 10,000 metric tons of spherical graphite–which represents approximately 5% of China’s total spherical graphite production.

And right now, they are planning to increase production to 40,000 metric tons over the next three years.

Stability All-Around

We think the stability of this setup is one of the most attractive parts: Graphex says it has stable and expandable processing contracts with the Chinese state owned mining companies.

It has stable raw material supplies since it’s located right next to the biggest flake graphite source in the world in China’s Heilongjiang Province.

It has 23 patents on its production methods, equipment design, environmental protection and graphene applications.

Combine this with proprietary expertise for high-volume, high-yield spherical graphite production and a high-quality product that is ready for direct application in advanced batteries, and we believe you have quite a lot of investor confidence.

Even better, it boasts a gross margin of around 28%, with raw materials coming in at around $600 and final product being sold for about $2800. This helped give the company $51 million in revenues in 2020.

It also wins environmental approval in line with the global energy transition. Though Graphex has capabilities to produce synthetic graphite, it’s primary focus is on producing natural graphite. Synthetic graphite is an energy-intensive coke-based product that has been detrimental enough to prompt the Chinese authorities to shut down and then restrict production over the last few years.

Coming to America…

There’s more to the Graphex game plan than a ramp-up to 40,000 metric tons …

These veterans are in the process of expanding to North America and the European Union in the near-term. They look poised to enter these markets as one of only a few companies able to support this growing manufacturing expansion in North America. On the supply side, they are capable of supplying their own material from their wholly owned facilities in Asia while exploring additional supply globally. On the production front, they have the ability to process both in Asia and focusing now on setting up production locally near domestic manufacturing. This is where Graphex could become not only one of the top producers in the world, but also a potential top tier production and technology company.

Graphex (OTCQX: GRFXY, 6128.HK) proprietary technology helps upgrade less valuable flake graphite into far more valuable uncoated spherical or coated spherical graphite. That’s a difference of $600 per ton and up to $12,000 per ton.


Working with downstream companies and local authorities in the U.S. and Canada, Graphex intends to use its patents, proprietary expertise, and experience to create solutions for the construction of facilities and production lines for spherical graphite.

And in the longer term, they’re planning to partner with auto supply chain companies for the production of coated spherical graphite, with downstream expansion into anode and battery production.

Constructing facilities that can process high-demand spherical graphite in America at this point is a business move in line with the national interest.

With graphite demand set to soar along with the anticipated growth of EVs, energy storage and more battery gigafactories than anyone could have imagined just a couple of years ago, this “supply critical material” could be one of the best back-door investment themes of the energy transition boom.

Electric Vehicle Producers Are Set To Grow In The Coming Years

GreenPower Motor (TSX:GPV) is an exciting company that produces larger-scale electric transportation. Right now, it is primarily focused on the North American market, but the sky is the limit as the pressure to go green grows. GreenPower has been on the frontlines of the electric movement, manufacturing affordable battery-electric busses and trucks for over ten years. From school busses to long-distance public transit, GreenPower’s impact on the sector can’t be ignored.

NFI Group (TSX:NFI) is another one of Canada’s most exciting electric mass-transit makers. Though it has not yet rebounded from January highs, NFI still offers investors a promising opportunity to capitalize on the electric vehicle boom at a discount. In addition to its increasingly positive financial reports, it is also one of the few in the business that actually pay dividends out to its investors. This is huge because it gives investors an opportunity to gain exposure to this booming industry while the stock is cheap and hold steady until the market finally discovers this gem.

Another way to gain exposure to the electric vehicle industry is through AutoCanada (TSX:ACQ), a company that operates auto-dealerships through Canada. The company carries a wide variety of new and used vehicles and has all types of financial options available to fit the needs of any consumer. While sales have slumped this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AutoCanada will likely see a rebound as both buying power and the demand for electric vehicles increases. As more new exciting EVs hit the market, AutoCanada will surely be able to ride the wave.

Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX:LAC) is one of America’s most critical and promising pure-play lithium companies. With two world-class lithium projects in Argentina and Nevada, Lithium Americas is well-positioned to ride the wave of growing lithium demand in the years to come. It’s already raised nearly a billion dollars in equity and debt, showing that investors have a ton of interest in the company’s ambitious plans.

Lithium America is not looking over the growing pressure from investors for responsible and sustainable mining, either. In fact, one of its primary goals is to create a positive impact on society and the environment through its projects. This includes cleaner mining tech, strong workplace safety practices, a range of opportunities for employees, and strong relationships with local governments to ensure that not only are its employees being taken care of but local communities, as well.

Celestica (TSX:CLS) is a key company in the resource boom due to is role as one of the top manufacturers of electronics in North America. Celestica’s wide range of products includes but is not limited to communications solutions, enterprise and cloud services, aerospace and defense products, renewable energy, and even healthcare tech.

Due to its exposure to the renewable energy market, Celestica’s future is tied hand-in-hand with the green energy boom that’s sweeping the world at the moment. It helps build smart and efficient products that integrate the latest in power generation, conversion and management technology to deliver smarter, more efficient grid and off-grid applications for the world’s leading energy equipment manufacturers and producers.

Teck Resources (TSX:TECK) could be one of the best-diversified miners out there, with a broad portfolio of Copper, Zinc, Energy, Gold, Silver and Molybdenum assets. It’s even involved in the oil scene! With its free cash flow and a lower volatility outlook for base metals in combination with a growing push for copper and zinc to create batteries, Teck could emerge as one of the year’s most exciting miners.

Though Teck has not quite returned to its January highs, it has seen a promising rebound since April lows. In addition to its positive trajectory, the company has seen a fair amount of insider buying, which tells shareholders that the management team is serious about continuing to add shareholder value. In addition to insider buying, Teck has been added to a number of hedge fund portfolios as well, suggesting that not only do insiders believe in the company, but also the smart money that’s really driving the markets.

By. Tom Kool

**IMPORTANT! BY READING OUR CONTENT YOU EXPLICITLY AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY**

Forward-Looking Statements

This publication contains forward-looking information which is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements in this publication include that the global energy transition will continue as anticipated and that electric vehicles will continue to grow in market share and acceptance; that demand for electric vehicle batteries and the component materials and minerals used to produce electric vehicle batteries will continue to grow significantly; that the market for graphite and related products will continue to expand and achieve double digit growth in the next five years with an anticipated 29% compound annual growth rate; that there will be shortages in China, U.S. and globally of the graphite necessary to produce electric vehicle batteries; that Graphex Group Limited (the “Company”) can leverage its existing operations and reputation in China to capture market share of global graphite demand; that the Company can expand its business operations to the U.S. and European markets and gain significant market share for the supply of graphite for electric vehicle batteries; that the Company can leverage its proximity to graphite mines to expand its operations and capture market share for global graphite demand; that the Company can achieve its business plans and objectives as anticipated. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from coming to fruition include that the global energy transition may not continue as anticipated and that other types of alternative energy vehicles may be developed and gain market share over current types of electric vehicles; that demand for electric vehicle batteries as currently produced and the component materials and minerals used to currently produce electric vehicle batteries may be less than expected for various reasons including the development of alternative materials and technologies; that the market for graphite and related products may not expand and achieve growth as anticipated; that for various reasons, including production of graphite or alternative technologies by other competitors of the Company, there may not be shortages of or increases in demand for graphite in China, U.S. and/or globally as expected or at all; that the Company may be unable to leverage its existing operations and reputation in China to capture substantial market share of global graphite demand; that the Company may be unsuccessful in the expansion of its business operations to the U.S. and European markets and fail to gain significant market share for the supply of graphite for electric vehicle batteries in China and/or globally; that the Company may be unable to leverage its proximity to graphite mines to expand its operations and capture market share for domestic and global graphite demand; that the business of the Company may be unsuccessful for various reasons. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and we assume no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

DISCLAIMERS

This communication is for entertainment purposes only. Never invest purely based on our communication. We have not been compensated by Graphex but may in the future be compensated to conduct investor awareness advertising and marketing for OTCQX: GRFXY. The information in our communications and on our website has not been independently verified and is not guaranteed to be correct. Price targets that we have listed in this article are our opinions based on limited analysis, but we are not professional financial analysts so price targets are not to be relied on.

SHARE OWNERSHIP. The owner of Oilprice.com owns shares of Graphex Group Limited and therefore has an additional incentive to see the featured company’s stock perform well. The owner of Oilprice.com will not notify the market when it decides to buy more or sell shares of this issuer in the market. The owner of Oilprice.com will be buying and selling shares of this issuer for its own profit. This is why we stress that you conduct extensive due diligence as well as seek the advice of your financial advisor or a registered broker-dealer before investing in any securities.

NOT AN INVESTMENT ADVISOR. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation.

ALWAYS DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH and consult with a licensed investment professional before making an investment. This communication should not be used as a basis for making any investment.

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