(Yicai Global) March 24 -- Ningbo Shanshan, the world’s largest supplier of the anode materials used in electric car batteries, has named the son of its founder, who passed away last month, as its new chairman.

Zheng Ju, who is currently president, will replace his father, Zheng Yonggang, as head of the company, the Ningbo, southeastern Zhejiang province-based firm said yesterday.

Zheng Ju has held many important positions in the firm, which his father set up in 1989, since he left college including president and chairman of Shanshan’s sister company Shanshan Holding.

The 32-year-old takes over an empire that started out as a garment factory and has since transformed itself into one of the biggest EV battery materials and optical materials suppliers in the world. Its customers include battery behemoths Contemporary Amperex Technology and South Korea’s LG Chem as well as carmakers BYD, the US’ Tesla and Germany’s Daimler-Benz.

Shanshan was the biggest supplier of optical filters, or polarizers, in the world last year, claiming 29 percent market share, and it was also the world’s top seller of artificial graphite that year at 200,000 tons.

The company has an annual production capacity of 320 million square meters of polarizers and 700,000 tons of battery anode materials, and it continues to hike capacity.

Shanshan’s stock price [SHA: 600884] closed the day up 1.63 percent at CNY17.50 (USD2.56). Earlier in the day it gained 2.3 percent to hit CNY17.63.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor