Arkema starts up its new Kynar^® fluoropolymer capacity for batteries at its Changshu plant in China

11/24/2020 - Press release

Corporate - Finance - Products

Arkema starts up its 50% capacity increase of Kynar^® fluoropolymer for the lithium-ion battery business at its Changshu plant in China in December 2020, with the first commercial supplies for January 2021.

Driven by strong growth in demand for electric vehicles and consumer electronics devices, as well as energy storage, the global lithium-ion battery market continues to expand at an accelerating pace. As an innovating pioneer in fluoropolymer materials used as both electrode binders and separator coatings in high performance batteries, Arkema continues to play an enabling role in this technological revolution.

"Our portfolio of solutions for the battery market greatly enhances the performance and the safety of advanced batteries. Our unique global Kynar^® fluoropolymer production footprint enables us to support the growth of our global customers with speed and versatility. This is also a strong vote of confidence in our Changshu plant. In just a few months, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of this plant, and in that decade, we have expanded successfully several times. This plant is one of the world’s largest plants for Arkema, and undoubtedly, it will continue to grow."

Erwoan Pezron,

Senior Vice-President, High Performance Polymers of Arkema

Arkema has been a world leader in fluoropolymer PVDF production for several decades, and an innovating supplier to the lithium-ion battery market since the very beginning. With humble origins in consumer electronics devices and power tools, growth was driven first by the rapid global expansion of smartphones and other smart devices, and more recently by the surge in electric vehicle production, and energy storage systems (ESS) used for example, in wind and solar energy.