Japan’s Asahi Kasei is set to increase production capacity of its lithium-ion battery separators to meet demand in the rapidly growing lithium-ion battery market.
The firm is set to invest around ¥30 billion ($275 million) in expanding production of its Hipore lithium-ion battery (LIB) separator at its plant in Hyuga, Japan, to around 350 million m2/year.
Expanding production rates are due to start in the first half of fiscal 2023.
The expansion will raise the firm’s wet-process capacity to 1.35 billion m2/year and total capacity to 1.9 billion m2/year, combined with 550 million m2/year in dry-process capacity.
A statement by Ashai Kesai read: “Rapid growth of the lithium-ion battery market is primarily driven by automotive applications due to increasing demand for electric-drive vehicles.”
The statement added that Asahi Kasei had been proactively expanding its environmentally friendly lithium-ion battery separator business with wet-process manufacturing plants located in Japan (Moriyama, Shiga, and Hyuga, Miyazaki) and dry-process manufacturing plants located in the US (North Carolina).