Formosa Mitsui Advanced Chemicals Co. (FMAC), a joint venture of Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (MCI; Tokyo; www.mitsuichem.com) and Formosa Plastics Corp. (FPC) plans to increase the capacity of its lithium-ion, battery-use, electrolyte solution production facilities.
Currently, the plant’s production capacity is 1,500 metric tons per year (m.t./yr), and the planned expansion will increase the capacity by 3,500 m.t./yr, allowing the plant to produce a total of 5,000 m.t./yr. The construction will begin immediately, and commercial operations of the expansion are set to commence in November 2017.
Demand for lithium-ion batteries has expanded in line with the growth of the laptop, smartphone, and tablet device markets. In the future, greater market growth is forecast for the mobility market with the surge in demand for environment-friendly plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles especially in China.
Mitsui Chemicals, with Formosa Plastics, has exploited its extensive knowledge and cutting-edge technology to build high-quality production facilities for electrolyte solutions at FMAC to meet the needs of an expanding Chinese market, with operations commencing in July 2016. This latest plan for FMAC will expand production and supply systems in preparation for further market growth.