Japanese specialist materials company Toray Industries plans to build a new manufacturing plant for lithium ion batteries parts in Europe, according to local reports.
The company plans to have a facility up and running by 2020 producing lithium ion battery separators and is said to be currently scouting locations in Germany and eastern Europe.
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Planned initial capacity at the new facility is 80m square metres of film per year.
The company, the second-largest global manufacturer of battery separators after its compatriot Asahi Kasei, is also doubling its capacity for these parts in South Korea – a key manufacturer of lithium ion batteries.
Toray is also considering a similar manufacturing plant in the USA, as it looks to supply battery parts for Tesla.
The reports also suggest that, after these investments have been completed, Toray will have a global production capacity of 1.95bn square metres of separator film a year.
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