The factory of Samsung SDI, one of the battery suppliers for the dangerously explosive Samsung Galaxy Note 7, caught fire in China. Pictures of the fire were circulated on Weibo, a social networking and micro-blogging platform known as the Chinese alternative to Twitter. The fire was relatively minor, was at a waste disposal facility, and did not affect production, according to a report in Bloomberg.
Samsung SDI was responsible for providing about 60 percent of the batteries to the discontinued Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, the other supplier being Amperex Technology Ltd. Following the explosions of the smartphones, Samsung SDI investigated their batteries in other smartphones, and found them to be safe. Samsung SDI is expected to provide at least a portion of the batteries in future Samsung phones. An executive of the company said that the issue was restricted to just the batteries used in the Galaxy Note 7.
Samsung recently revealed the results of its investigation into the cause of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fires. The company identified the battery as the problematic component that caused the fires. Independent investigations have showed that the body of the smartphone, and its curvature, left little space for natural expansion and contraction of the batteries, compressing them when charged and leading to the fires. South Korea also investigated the issue, and is fortifying the regulations for lithium-ion batteries, in the interest of consumer safety.