Asahi Kasei to expand coating capacity for battery separators

Asahi Kasei will invest in additional equipment for coating Hipore™ lithium-ion battery (LIB) separators. 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. Through this investment the company establishes 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. As one of Asahi Kasei’s “10 Growth Gears” (GG10) businesses identified to lead the next phase of growth in the company’s medium-term management plan for fiscal year 2024 with a theme “Be a Trailblazer,” the separator business is a focus of proactive investment for capacity expansion to meet the significant increase in demand for electric vehicle applications.

Asahi Kasei will continue investing to build its LIB separator supply infrastructure for automotive applications to meet growing demand, especially in North America where significant expansion of electric vehicle production is forecasted. The expansion announced will raise 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. This will contribute to building robust LIB supply chains in North America, Japan, and South Korea, with highly functional and durable wet-process separators for automotive applications. Asahi Kasei will continue to study proactive investments, including the establishment of new Hipore™ membrane manufacturing facilities to further enhance its supply infrastructure for the North American and Japanese markets.