February 1, 2011
electrodeposited copper foil for Lithium-ion batteries
Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. is establishing a new company for manufacturing and selling electrodeposited copper foil for Lithium-ion batteries ("copper foil for batteries") in Taiwan, in March this year. The amount of the investment is 6.9 billion yen, the production capacity is 500 tons/month, and operations are scheduled to start in September 2012.
Production capacity for the copper foil for batteries at Imaichi Plant will almost double, to about 1,000 tons/month by March 2012, up from the current 550 tons/month.
This makes our production capacity for copper foil for batteries as of July 2013 1,500 tons/month, with a target of achieving an overwhelming market position with a global share of 60%.
Background
Electrodeposited copper foil manufactured by Furukawa Electric for Lithium-ion batteries has attained a global share of more than 40%, the highest in the world.
The Company has already started delivering the product to major automobile manufacturers ahead of any of its competitors, for use with the automotive batteries of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Electric Vehicles (EV).
In addition to batteries for consumer products such as mobile phones and notebook computers, demand for batteries for automobiles are expected to surge, in line with the rapid dissemination of HEV and EV. (See attached diagram.) There is an urgent need to expand production of electrodeposited copper foil, the major component.
Description
As a consequence, Furukawa Electric has decided to establish a new company in Taiwan, where it already has a strong track record with copper foil for electronic circuits. This will be a new base for the copper foil for batteries, to be established in March this year. The amount of investment is 6.9 billion yen, the production capacity is 500 tons/month, and production is scheduled to start in September 2012.
At the same time, production capacity for copper foil for batteries at Imaichi Plant will be doubled to about 1,000 tons/month, up from the current 550 tons/month, by March 2012. The expansion at Imaichi Plant will be attained by reforming the current production facilities to bolster their efficiency.
These measures will mean that the production capacity for copper foil for batteries as of July 2013 will be 1,500 tons/month, about triple the current capacity, with the target of achieving an overwhelming market position with a global share of 60%.
Profile of new company
| Company name | : | Furukawa Electric Copper Foil Taiwan Co., Ltd. |
| Location | : | Tou Lie City,Yun Lin Country Taiwan |
| Business | : | Manufacture and sales of copper foil for batteries |
| Established in | : | March 2011 |
| Starting production in | : | September 2012 |
| Production capacity | : | 500 tons/month (July 2013) |
| Site area | : | 40,000m2 |
| Invested amount | : | 6.9 billion yen |
| Equity stake | : | 100% owned by Furukawa Electric |
Attached diagram: Forecast Demand for Electric Vehicles (HEV and EV)
Forecast Demand for Electric Vehicles (HEV and EV)
