Japan-based NSG Group is joining battery separator manufacturer Entek and Jakarta-based Separindo in their newly-formed Indonesian joint venture (JV) for producing and selling polyethylene (PE) separators for lead-acid batteries.
Entek, which has plants in the US and the UK, said NSG’s investment is aimed at upgrading its product supply capability in the expanding Asian market “to generate a synergy in sales, manufacturing and research and development”.
NSG makes glass fibre products for battery applications such as PE and AGM separators, in addition to glass and glazing systems for the automotive and other sectors.
According to Entek, demand for idling start-stop batteries is “expected to grow significantly due to the needs for fuel efficiency and the reduction of carbon emissions in the rapidly-expanding Asian market for automotive flooded lead acid batteries”.
Separindo, established in 1995, is one of Asia’s leading PE battery separator producers, Entek said. “It has been the sole producer in Indonesia and has a deep understanding of the Asian market. Separindo, headquartered in Jakarta, is focused on markets locally and in Asia’s developing countries.”
The Entek-Separindo JV was formed in February 2017. Entek CEO Larry Keith said then the partnership would enable the firms to sell products with short lead-times “and trade-advantaged benefits of manufacturing in Asia”. The move also triggered the start of work on adding 60 million square metres per year production capacity to the Indonesian facility.
