Construction works have begun on expanded production facilities in Indonesia for the PT ENTEK Separindo Asia joint venture (JV) producing polyethylene battery separators for flooded lead-acid batteries in Asia.
Lead-acid separator firms ENTEK International and Separindo announced the formation of the JV in February 2017 for the production, sales and marketing of the separators. Japan-based NSG Group, which makes glass fibre products for battery applications such as PE and AGM separators, joined the JV in the summer.
ENTEK CEO Larry Keith (pictured) has said in a project update the 60 million square-metre capacity expansion of the existing Separindo site in Jakarta will see total production capacity increase to 240 million sq m.
Keith said: “ENTEK is already in the process of adding and upgrading equipment for the capacity increase.”
ENTEK, which has plants in the US and the UK and is responsible for the JV’s day-to-day operations, has said the partnership provides battery producers with “expanded access to quality separator products for batteries in the SLI, traction and stationary power markets”.
NSG president and CEO Shigeki Mori said the expansion was needed to supply “the rapidly-growing Asian market”.
