Semcorp Opens First Li-ion Production Unit Outside China In Hungary

The Shanghai-based SEMCORP, which makes lithium-ion battery separator films for electric vehicle batteries, will establish its first outside-of-China Li-ion production unit in the Debrecen South Industrial Park in Hungary.

The project will cost 65.5 billion Hungarian forints (183 million euros), with an additional 13 billion Hungarian forints (36.5 million euros) support from the Hungarian Government. Furthermore, the investment will create 440 new jobs.

SEMCORP had picked Hungary over three other European countries competing to become the site for the new plant

Péter Szíjjártó, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The factory-giant is one of the world’s leading companies in the development and manufacture of lithium-ion battery separator film products.

In China, the group has five factories with a total annual base film production capacity of 3.3 billion square-metres, which are mainly used in electric and hybrid car batteries as well as consumer electronics goods. Its customers include LG, Panasonic, Samsung, BYD and SK Innovation.

The 97,000 square-metres plant will start operations in early 2023 on a vast area of 19 hectares, increasing the company’s annual film production capacity by approximately 12 per cent. The company will start the construction of the first phase in 2021. When ready, it will house four base film production lines as well as coating and slitting capacity.

The establishment of the new facility in Hungary is a strategic step in the life of the company.

I am happy to announce that SEMCORP will build a new state-of-the-art facility to manufacture lithium-ion battery separator film in Debrecen, Hungary,

GroupEurope is expected to see massive growth in lithium-ion battery production capacity over the next few years and Hungary is going to be the cornerstone of our strategy. In the last decade, we have built five separator film factories in China. The Debrecen plant will be our first outside of China, so this is a big project for SEMCORP – not just in terms of scale, but also strategic importance.

James Shih, Director of Global Projects for SEMCORP.

SEMCORP ‘s new plant in Debrecen is planned to serve the needs of the European region, as the automotive industry will also undergo a significant transformation in the next period and the focus will increasingly shift from conventional propulsion to electric propulsion.

Originally from Chinese manufacturer SEMCORP sets up a plant in Hungary to serve Europe’s future automotive industry