Toray to set up battery separator film (BSF) production in Hungary

Japan’s Toray Industries is to establish a new production facility for battery separator film (BSF) for lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) in Nyergesújfalu, Hungary. The new production facility will be located at Toray Industries Hungary Kft. (THU), which was established in 2018, and will increase the Toray Group’s total BSF production capacity by approximately 20%. The new facility is schedule to begin operations in July 2021.

The Toray Group already has BSF production facilities at the Nasu Plant in Japan and in South Korea, where Toray Battery Separator Film Korea Limited (TBSK) engages in development, production and sale of BSF, while Toray BSF Coating Korea Limited (TBCK) handles coating processes. In 2017, Toray announced facility investments to expand capacity in these two locations and new lines have been started-up since fiscal 2018.

Going forward, global demand for BSF is projected to expand rapidly, given steady expansionary trends in consumer applications like mobile electronics and energy storage system, and the anticipated robust increase in automotive applications as electric vehicles (EV) become more popular.

In Europe in particular, where environmental awareness is increasing, it is anticipated that eco-friendly EV vehicles will rapidly spread, and battery manufacturers are also actively entering European markets. Toray has taken the basic strategic approach of “local production for local consumption” in its overseas business development. By locating production facilities in areas close to customers, Toray says its aim is to respond to growing demand and also to contribute to the economic development of local regions and communities.