Asahi Kasei continues to invest to build its LIB separator supply infrastructure for automotive applications invests in additional equipment for coating Hipore™ lithium-ion battery (LIB) separators.
Through this investment, Asahi Kasei claims to have established the capability to supply coated separators for batteries equivalent to 1.7 million electric vehicles.
Asahi Kasei supplies two types of Hipore™ wet-process LIB separators: a polyolefin microporous base film membrane and a coated membrane separator produced by applying ceramic and other coatings to the base film.
With investments around ¥40 billion1,2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Hyuga, Miyazaki, Japan; Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, South Korea. Asahi Kasei coating capacity now touches approx. 700 million m2/year.
Regarding the investment, Hiroyoshi Matsuyama, Senior Executive Officer and President of the Environmental Solutions Strategic Business Unit at Asahi Kasei, mentioned, “Expanding Hipore™ operations globally to keep pace with the electric vehicle market is an important milestone for our separator business. We are happy to support the growth of our customers abroad, and with the help of our established global locations, we can do that quickly by investing in existing infrastructure and then expanding further with new greenfield sites as needed to meet regional demand.”
With this expansion announcement, Asahi Kasei’s coating capacity for LIB separators to approximately 1.2 billion m2/year, enabling the supply of coated separators for batteries equivalent to 1.7 million electric vehicles.
New coating lines will be installed at existing Asahi Kasei LIB separator facilities in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, with start-up scheduled in succession from the first half of fiscal year 2026.
Further info: https://www.asahi-kasei.com/https://www.asahi-kasei.com/sustainability/.
