SEMCORP Advanced Materials Group has announced it will establish a manufacturing facility in Sidney, Ohio, creating nearly 1,200 jobs with $73 million in annual payroll and $916 million in capital investment.
The facility will make separator film, a key component in batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). SEMCORP’s products will be used by leading EV battery makers across North America.
Paul Lee, SEMCORP’s Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, said: “The Sidney facility is one of the biggest investments in our company’s history because we know the United States is strongly committed to building the supply chains for EVs and energy storage here at home.Our Sidney site will be America’s largest manufacturer of separator film for EV batteries. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with state and local leaders to make the large-scale domestic production of this component a reality.”
James Shih, SEMCORP’s Group Vice President of Global Projects, said: “SEMCORP chose the Sidney location because of the state’s impressive commitment to vocational education, preparedness for a large-scale project like ours, the strong work ethic in the region, and proximity to key customers. We’re thrilled to call Sidney home, and we’re going to do all that we can to earn the trust of the local community.”
No batteries will be made by SEMCORP, and there is no lithium used in the manufacturing process for separator film. There will be no lithium mining at the site as there are no lithium deposits in or near Ohio.
In addition to EVs, lithium-ion batteries safely power a wide range of consumer products such as cell phones and computers. SEMCORP is committed to operating the facility in compliance with all relevant environmental and safety standards, Shih said.
SEMCORP is currently the largest lithium-ion battery separator film producer in the world with five billion square meters in annual base film production capacity across six manufacturing facilities.
The company plans to add an additional eight billion square meters in capacity within the next four years, including the Sidney site, with the primary objective of serving the booming EV market.
J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO, said: “SEMCORP’s advanced battery separator film will help propel Ohio to the forefront of the electric vehicle industry. Our team of professionals, including the Dayton Development Coalition, the Sidney-Shelby Economic Partnership, the City of Sidney and Shelby County, worked tirelessly to demonstrate why Ohio is the best location for this investment.”
The facility will be located at Sidney Ohio Industrial Park at Millcreek and Kuther Road, a site authenticated by JobsOhio’s SiteOhio program in 2021. The site has been flagged for major industrial development since 2016.