As Daramic steps out as an independent entity in its own right, James Snodgrass talks to CEO Chad Schuchmann about its lead battery focused future.
There is a little bit of untangling to do if one is to explain how and why Daramic is now an independent entity. Polypore was Asahi Kasei’s microporous membrane and battery separator product division. Daramic was part of Polypore. Polypore made battery separators for lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries. then Kingswood Capital Management came in and acquired Daramic. As a consequence the newly independent Daramic is now dedicated to lead-acid battery technologies.
Our interviewee, Chad Schuchmann, was CEO of Polypore and president of Daramic. But since December 2025 – and the Kingswood takeover – he has been president and CEO of Daramic. Are you with me so far?
So when I addressed Chad as the “new CEO of Daramic” he said: “Not quite.” He has actually spent the last 23 years (give or take a year, which I’ll explain in a second) within a family of companies. In 2002, after leaving the US Navy, where he trained nuclear submariners, Chad joined Polypore business unit, Celgard. Then, in 2010 he became director of internal audit at Polypore. In 2012 he became VP of the Liqui-Cel business of Membrana, a Polypore business unit. 3M acquired Membrana from Polypore in 2015 and appointed Chad as global business manager of 3M’s membranes business unit, a position he held for nearly 18 months before before going back to Polypore as Daramic’s VP and managing director of EMEA and Americas.
In October 2018 he became COO of Daramic and, in 2020, president. In August 2022 he became COO of Polypore and president of Daramic. Before becoming CEO of Polypore in October 2023, a position he held until Daramic became an independent entity for the first time in nearly 30 years. I hope all is now clear?
Daramic has a long history in lead-acid batteries. Is that still the core focus?
“Daramic has been around for more than 90 years and has been a primary supplier of battery separators to the lead-acid industry since the 1930s. That will remain our core focus.
“Following the divestment from Asahi Kasei and acquisition by Kingswood Capital Management, we will continue to concentrate on the lead battery market.”
You’ve spoken about sustainability in lead-acid. What does that mean in practice?
“If you look at the raw material supply chain for lead batteries, many suppliers in this industry are smaller and regionally based. As such, there’s a perceived risk around access to capital and the industry’s ability to innovate and adapt.
“That creates supply chain vulnerability. A battery manufacturer might depend on two regional suppliers for a key component—if one fails, there may not be sufficient alternative supply locally. My view is that it’s time to shore up the raw material base for the lead battery industry.
“Today, we are primarily focused on separators. Long term, I would like to move beyond that and help customers secure their raw material supply base, whether regionally or globally. How that evolves is still to be determined, but diversification of our product portfolio is clearly a strategic direction.”
How does your global manufacturing footprint support supply security?
“We manufacture in five countries: France, Germany, India, Thailand and China. Having production in these regions allows us to shorten supply chains and maintain local inventories. We also qualify multiple raw material sources, both local and global, which gives us flexibility. That footprint is critical to our ability to serve customers reliably.”
Is just-in-time manufacturing still viable in today’s environment?
“It’s a balance. For high-volume raw materials, you can’t realistically store enough inventory to run a plant long term, so those require close supplier partnerships. For lower-volume components, it’s different. In those cases, both we and our customers need to hold higher inventory levels. Particularly for niche or low-volume SKUs, buffer stock is essential.”
How has the business changed during your leadership?
“Internally, we’ve made major investments in environmental health and safety. We use chemicals and solvents, so ensuring employees go home safely every day is a top priority.
“We’ve also significantly improved product quality and harmonised our global lab systems. That means a product tested in one facility can be evaluated the same way anywhere in the world.
“On the market side, we’ve seen faster-than-expected adoption of AGM (absorbent glass mat) batteries in Europe and North America. More recently, low-cost lithium exports from China have begun to affect inverter battery markets in some regions.”
What role did Asahi Kasei play in shaping the business?
“Asahi Kasei was a very good owner. They invested heavily in quality, environmental performance and safety, and helped us become more customer-centric. They also supported significant R&D investment, which strengthened our position as an innovator.”
Can you give examples of recent innovation?
“We’ve introduced several new products over the past decade, including HiCharge Plus and Daramic HD Gold. We also have our Daramic Stratosphere product currently in testing, and our DuraLife-related technologies have gained traction in multiple automotive applications. Innovation has been a major focus, and it’s delivered strong results.”
You mentioned safety: as a separator manufacturer, how do you manage exposure to hazardous materials like lead?
“We have a small subset of employees who work on battery teardown and cell assembly for testing – building two-volt and 12-volt batteries in laboratory conditions. These are tightly controlled environments. We follow strict hazardous material handling protocols and conduct voluntary monitoring. While we’re not subject to the same regulatory thresholds as battery manufacturers, we take safety extremely seriously.”
What materials dominate your separator technology today?
“The majority of our products are based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene with silica—this remains the core separator technology. We also partner with Sinoma NGF to supply AGM separators, leveraging our global commercial and technical reach.
“In addition, we produce a phenolic resin separator – Darak –in Germany.”
Registered trademarks include –Darak®, HiCharge®️, DuraLife®, Daramic HD®️ Plus™, Daramic HD®️ Gold™ and Daramic®️ Stratosphere™
