Sekisui to set up facility in Europe for auto sector

Japanese automotive materials supplier Sekisui Chemical is building a new production line in the Netherlands for interlayer films and due for completion by the end of this year. Work is also scheduled to commence on a new plant for thermal management materials around the middle of next year. The firm says it is focusing on producing a grease-type thermal management material for use in EV batteries in Europe.

It says it is seeing a growing demand for high-performance interlayer films and thermal management materials – products that reduce carbon emissions and enhance fuel efficiency, comfort and safety, and are especially relevant for EVs. Significantly stricter European average fleet limits of 95 g of CO2 per km will come into force in 2020, further boosting demand for electric cars.

“The automotive industry is facing a once-in-a-century revolution, and we can contribute to this, especially in e-mobility, with our heat management and thermal solutions,” explains Masayuki Suda, CEO of Sekisui Chemical GmbH. “Our products are essential for our customers to keep pace with these trends and remain competitive.”

With more than 70 years of experience the production and processing of plastics, lightweight is at the heart of Sekisui’s work. Replacing metal in a car with high-performance plastics makes the vehicle significantly lighter – a crucial consideration in the drive to reduce carbon emissions in the automotive industry and make the shift to electric mobility.

Europe is at the centre of the future automobile industry, and trends such as CASE – Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric – are progressing in Europe at a faster pace than in other regions. The European market, and Germany in particular, is therefore increasingly important for Sekisui, which is why the company wants to strengthen its business in Europe and continue investing in this area. SEKISUI already has a considerable European presence.

Among its facilities are a production facility in Spain producing raw materials for interlayer films, three production facilities for resins, interlayer films and foam in the Netherlands plus a research centre for interlayer film also in the Netherlands and many more. The new production facilities mark an expansion of its automotive campus, and of its growing presence in Europe.

In September, Sekisui celebrated the European premiere of its concept car at IAA. It presented the concept car for the first time at the IAA and showcased several products such as its “Luminous PVB”, an interlayer film with simultaneous light function that can display information across the entire windshield and other car windows, and Color Carbon, a carbon-fibre material processed with sputtering technology that allows more customisation options while retaining all the benefits of carbon without colour degradation.