Asahi Kasei to Increase Lithium-Ion Battery Separator Coating Capacity

According to CHEManager on October 31, starting from the first half of 2026, Japanese multinational chemical company Asahi Kasei will invest in new coating equipment for Hipore™ lithium-ion battery separators at its factories in the United States, Japan and South Korea. The production capacity can provide coating separators for the batteries of up to 1.7 million new energy vehicles.

Asahi Kasei offers two types of Hipore™ wet process lithium-ion battery (LIB) separators: one is a polyolefin-based film and the other is an additive coating. This business is an important part of their strategy to meet the needs of the new energy vehicle market and is a key investment area in their 2024 plan.

Asahi Kasei plans to invest approximately 248 million euros (40 billion yen) to expand the coating production capacity of its factories in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, Hyuga City, Miyazaki, Japan, and Pyeongtaek City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea to approximately 700 million square meters per year.

Hiroyoshi Matsuyama, Senior Executive Officer and President of the Environmental Solutions Strategic Business Unit said: "Expanding Hipore™ business globally to keep pace with the new energy vehicle market is an important milestone for our battery separator business. We are pleased supporting the growth of overseas customers, with the help of our established global presence, we can meet regional demand by investing in existing infrastructure and further expanding into new greenfield sites based on customer demand."

Asahi Kasei will expand the infrastructure construction of the lithium-ion battery separator business, focusing on meeting the growing demand for new energy vehicles in North America, increasing separator coating production capacity, and providing services for 1.7 million new energy vehicle batteries. Asahi Kasei aims to optimize the lithium-ion battery supply chain in North America, Japan and South Korea to provide durable separators for vehicles.