The global surge in popularity of electric vehicles has sparked Japanese battery separator firm W-Scope to spend $83 million on expanding its production facilities of separators for secondary cell lithium-ion batteries in South Korea.
W-Scope’s expansion will increase its separator production area to 250 million square metres.
The first step is to buy two new production lines from Korean giant LG Chem, which W-Scope will install in a new factory next to its existing one in North Chungcheong Province.
These will add to a third line that W-Scope began operating in 2012, which the company announced was in preparation for expected future demand for electric and hybrid vehicles.
The new lines are slated to begin operating in June 2016, and there are possibilities of the company opening a further two in 2017.
LG Chem appears to be concentrating its resources on battery-making itself while outsourcing its components, with Japanese company Toray Industries also said to be buying a production facility from the Korean giant.
