SEMCORP TO INVEST $916 MILLION TO PRODUCE CRITICAL LITIHIUM-ION BATTERY COMPONENT IN SIDNEY, EXPANDING OHIO'S ELECTRIC VEHICLE SUPPLY CHAIN

SIDNEY, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SEMCORP Advanced Materials Group announced Thursday 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.  

"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," said Paul Lee, SEMCORP's Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO. "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."

"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," said James Shih, SEMCORP's Group Vice President of Global Projects. "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.

"SEMCORP's advanced battery separator film will help propel Ohio to the forefront of the electric vehicle industry," said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO. "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. The authenticated site status ensures the site is free of any detriments that may slow or stop development. The 850,000-square-foot facility represents the largest foreign direct investment in Ohio.

"We're thrilled to welcome SEMCORP to the Dayton region. Their decision to manufacture in Sidney advances Ohio's efforts to develop a robust ecosystem for electric vehicles," Dayton Development Coalition President and CEO Jeff Hoagland said. "The fast-growing market for electric automobiles and aircraft represents an incredible opportunity for the Dayton region to remain competitive in the changing manufacturing economy and provide opportunities for our skilled manufacturing workforce."

"We welcome SEMCORP to Shelby County where they join a long list of innovative, world-class manufacturing companies," said Jim Hill, Executive Director, Sidney-Shelby Economic Partnership. "As the global leader in separator film production, SEMCORP will play a vital role in meeting the growing demand for electric vehicle batteries in North America. This project is a big win for Sidney, Shelby County, the Dayton region and the entire state of Ohio." 

"The City of Sidney, Mayor, and City Council are all excited, and humbled by the opportunity to work with SEMCORP on their future expansion into Sidney and Shelby County," said Andrew Bowsher, Sidney City Manager. "We are encouraged by their willingness to be a good neighbor and bring even more economic prowess to a thriving manufacturing hub. The City has given its commitment in the way of incentives, and will continue to work with key leaders to not only construct and build this new facility, but also enhance and rebuild the roads, and infrastructure around the site."

"AES Ohio looks forward to this partnership with SEMCORP and the opportunity to support expansion of electrical infrastructure in Sidney," said Kristina Lund, AES US Utilities President and CEO. "It is an economic development win-win when companies like this invest in our communities, state and our talent."

SEMCORP also announced the hiring of Jeff Liu as the President and CEO of its Advanced Materials International division.

"SEMCORP has been a critical part of the supply chain to make the worldwide transition toward electric vehicles possible, and I'm excited to use my experience to bring their technology to the Dayton region," Liu said. "Projects like ours will underwrite the prosperity of this community for the next generation."

ABOUT SEMCORP ADVANCED MATERIALS GROUP
SEMCORP Advanced Materials Group, publicly traded as Yunnan Energy New Material Co. Ltd., is the largest lithium-ion battery separator film supplier in the world. Its separator film products are a key component of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicle, energy storage, and consumer electronics applications. SEMCORP specializes in wet-process separator film, and with more than 100 products (both base and coated film), it offers the broadest selection of battery separator film products in the market.

SEMCORP was co-founded by brothers Paul Lee and Tony Li, who immigrated to the United States in the 1980s to study at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and began their careers on the factory floor of a plastics facility in Port Lavaca, Texas. Building on their experience in the plastics packaging and printing industries, they decided to enter the lithium-ion battery separator film business in 2010. Now, SEMCORP has state-of-the-art equipment, cutting-edge technology, an international management team that has led the company from its inception, and a sophisticated quality management system. SEMCORP works hand-in-hand with its customers starting from the earliest stages of their research and development process in order to develop innovative solutions that meet their unique needs. SEMCORP has developed advanced functional coating technologies such as ceramic coating, PVDF coating, AFL coating, and high-temperature polymer coatings that improve battery safety. The functional coated films enable engineers to design safer batteries with long range and cycling performance.

SEMCORP is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (ticker: 002812.SZ). In addition to separator film, SEMCORP also manufactures packaging and printing products.

QUICK FACTS
·  Website: http://www.semcorpglobal.com/
·  2021 Revenues: $1.26 billion USD
·  Employees as of December 31, 2021: 5,954
·  Market Capitalization as of Market Close, April 29, 2022: $27.4 billion USD

About JobsOhio
JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention, and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio through Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast Economic Development, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE JobsOhio