29 September 2016
DETAILS
Ube Industries' U-Pore polyolefin multiparous film
Ube Industries, Ltd.
announced today that it has decided
to expand its production capacity
for lithium-ion battery separators
at the Sakai Factory in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture,
in order to meet growing demand
for lithium-ion batteries used in automobiles.
The expansion will take place after
the current construction of new production facilities
for separators at the Sakai Factory,
with the expansion project
expected to be completed in April 2018.
Ube Industries began manufacturing separators at
the Ube Chemical Factory
in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in 1994.
It has gradually increased production capacity
at the site in line with the expanding market
for lithium-ion batteries.
The Company also started production of separators
at Sakai Factory in 2013.
With these two factories in Japan, the Company
has delivered a stable supply of products
while responding to growing demand.
Demand for lithium-ion batteries
used in automotive applications
is projected to grow significantly, for use in
hybrid vehicles (HVs),
plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs),
and electric vehicles (EVs),
with actual demand growing at this time.
Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries
are projected to be increasingly used
in applications such as
energy storage systems and
industrial applications.
The expansion will bring
the combined total production capacity
for separators
at the Ube Chemical Factory and Sakai Factory
to 250 million square meters annually.
Ube Industries has positioned the separators business
as an active growth business
under its latest medium-term management plan
that it began implementing in the current fiscal year.
By expanding production capacity for separators
in a timely manner to meet growing demand,
Ube Industries will further enhance its presence
in the growing market for automotive applications.
Ube Industries plans to increase
its total annual production capacity
for separators to 300 million square meters
by around 2020.
CONTACT
Ube Industries, Ltd.
Investor Relations & Public Relations Department
Corporate Planning & Administration Office
Seavans North Building, 1-2-1 Shibaura,
Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8449
Phone : +81-3-5419-6110
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