Securing Industry BIS Compliant Lithium-ion Batteries for UAV

Industry: Aerospace

Product: Molicel lithium-ion cells (18650, P28A), battery pack raw material

Why Procurabl

Customer Challenge: The manufacturer needed BIS-compliant lithium-ion cells, but their preferred supplier wouldn't undertake certification for the India market alone. Their existing supply chain was also losing time and money to poor stacking, cargo theft, excessive duty payments, and a near-total lack of shipment visibility.

Capabilities Leveraged: Demand consolidation, BIS compliance navigation, FCL import management from Taiwan, end-to-end shipment traceability.

Result: Compliant Molicel cell supply at 40% lower landed cost, delivered across two FCL consignments from Taiwan with full end-to-end traceability, replacing a supply chain that had previously cost the manufacturer money on every shipment before a single cell reached production.

"We faced challenges with other batteries - inconsistent performance, limited endurance, and safety concerns. It became evident that procurement of high-performance, high-quality batteries was necessary." - Abhishek Burman, CEO, General Aeronautics

Introduction

Battery cost runs 60–70% of a drone's final cost. For a B2G agriculture drone manufacturer specializing in aircraft design and system-level analysis, getting that cost, and the compliance and reliability behind it, right wasn't optional.

"We chose Molicel because they're the only lithium-ion manufacturer that packs high capacity, higher energy density, low IR rating, and a high discharge rate into a small cylindrical cell; exactly what our agricultural application needs for extended flight time," the CEO said. The technology fit was clear. Getting genuine, compliant supply of it into India was not.

The Challenge

Three problems stood between the manufacturer and reliable Molicel supply:

Certification deadlock. Molicel's preferred certification path didn't extend to a India-only BIS compliance process, the manufacturer needed compliant cells, but there was no established route to get them certified for the Indian market alone.

A supply chain losing money on every shipment. Poor stacking, manhandling, cargo theft, and excessive duty payments turned each shipment into a cost and delay event before cells even reached production.

No visibility. "The lack of transparency and communication resulted in an overall delay in manufacturing updates, especially overseas," General Aeronautics' purchase manager said - a problem for anyone managing a production schedule against an import pipeline they couldn't see into.

The Solution

Procurabl sourced cells directly from Molicel and routed them through a low-cost South-East Asian partner for the secondary processing steps needed to meet the manufacturer's requirements, then scaled its own facilities to work directly with both Molicel and the South-East Asian partner to streamline the pipeline end to end.

Using a demand consolidation model, Procurabl converted the manufacturer's order volume from the small, high-cost purchases Molicel had previously fulfilled into a larger, sustained order pattern, reducing per-unit cost and cutting lead times.

"Procurabl's expertise in navigating the cost-quality tradeoff has been invaluable. We chose them for their deep understanding of battery tech, and they delivered absolute transparency and visibility in the process." — Supply Chain Head, General Aeronautics

Import and Traceability

Since the original engagement, the sourcing pipeline has been formalized as a direct FCL (full container load) import route from Taiwan, with two consignments delivered to date and full end-to-end traceability built into the process, from cell manufacture through customs clearance to arrival at the manufacturer's facility. That traceability closes the visibility gap that was one of the original three problems: every shipment stage is now tracked, not discovered after the fact.

The Result

Landed cost on Molicel cell supply came down 40% within a year of demand consolidation taking effect.

The relationship also solved a problem on Molicel's side: previously receiving orders in low volumes that carried their own labor-cost inefficiencies. Molicel gained an expanded, consolidated India presence through the partnership, the volume growth that later supported establishing a dedicated distribution partner for the market.

Want to source high quality lithium cells with traceability? Let's talk

FAQ

What does BIS compliance mean for importing lithium-ion batteries into India? BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) compliance certifies that lithium-ion cells meet India's safety and performance standards for import and sale. Many global cell manufacturers won't pursue this certification for the Indian market alone if India isn't a large enough share of their business, which means sourcing compliant cells often requires a partner who can navigate that certification gap directly with the manufacturer, rather than relying on the manufacturer to certify independently.

How can UAV or drone manufacturers reduce landed cost on battery cell imports? Demand consolidation combining smaller, sporadic orders into larger, sustained volume commitments is typically the biggest lever, since cell manufacturers price more favorably against predictable, larger orders. Reducing shipment losses from poor handling, cargo theft, and unnecessary duty exposure through a managed FCL import process also directly affects landed cost, independent of the cell price itself.

What is FCL import and when does it make sense for battery cell sourcing? FCL (full container load) import means a shipment fills an entire container rather than sharing space with other cargo (LCL, or less-than-container load). It reduces per-unit handling risk, cuts exposure to the kind of poor stacking and cargo theft that smaller, shared shipments are more vulnerable to, and becomes cost-effective once order volume is large and consistent enough to fill a container on a predictable schedule.

Why does end-to-end traceability matter for lithium-ion cell supply chains? For safety-critical applications like UAV flight batteries, traceability - knowing exactly which manufacturing lot, shipment, and handling chain a given cell came from, is what allows a defect or performance issue to be traced back to its source rather than discovered only after it affects a flight. It also closes the visibility gap that leaves manufacturing teams unable to plan production schedules around import timelines they can't see into.