Asahi Kasei Opens Battery Separator Coating Line in North Carolina
Asahi Kasei has opened a new Hipore wet-process lithium-ion battery separator coating line at its Celgard manufacturing facility in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The company held a grand opening Aug. 20 and announced completion of the project Aug. 26. Asahi Kasei said the line establishes North American coating and supply capabilities for its wet-process separator technology and represents the first step toward a regional wet-process separator supply structure.
Commercial production is scheduled to begin during the second half of fiscal 2026. The company did not disclose the line’s annual output or the project’s individual investment value in the opening announcement.
The project expands an established battery-materials operation. The Celgard facility has manufactured dry-process separators in Charlotte since 1986, and the opening coincided with the site’s 40th anniversary.
Toyota Tsusho Corp., which has entered into a capacity-rights agreement connected with the Charlotte facility, participated in the opening ceremony. Under that previously announced arrangement, Toyota Tsusho is entitled to a preferential share of coated separator production for the North American automotive battery market.
Asahi Kasei is also constructing a wet-process separator facility in Canada. The company said the Charlotte coating line and Canadian plant are intended to create a regional supply framework serving electric-vehicle and energy-storage demand.
The investment is relevant to PCI readers following special purpose coatings and the scale-up of functional coating processes for advanced energy applications.
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