Growing demand due to lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles
Increase in production capacities in Morganton (USA), Raciborz and Nowy Sacz (both Poland)
Expansion of the development and application laboratory in Meitingen (Germany)
SGL Carbon has significantly increased its capacities for the production of synthetic graphite anode material for lithium-ion batteries and will conclude the current expansion phase in 2019. In addition to upgrading and optimizing the efficiency of existing plants, the company is also investing in a battery application laboratory. In total, a low double-digit million-euro amount will have been invested at the Morganton (USA), Raciborz and Nowy Sacz (both Poland) and Meitingen (Germany) sites.
“The demand for high-performance lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and thus, high-quality synthetic graphite anode materials is constantly growing. By expanding our capacities, we will continue to meet this demand, also in the future. The expansion of our development and application lab also allows us to better assist our customers in finding solutions to the ever-increasing demands on battery performance”, says Dr. Jürgen Köhler, CEO of SGL Carbon. “In consideration of the growing number of projects in the field of electric mobility and the resulting demand for graphite anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, we are currently in an evaluation process of this very dynamic market to decide on potential capacity increases beyond the steps already taken.”
In Morganton, North Carolina, USA, a new production route for graphite anode materials was qualified last year. At our European sites, which work as a production network, initial measures have been taken and the expansion is expected to be completed by 2019. In Meitingen, the battery lab is also undergoing a major expansion to increase capacity for both research and development activities as well as application engineering consulting and customer service for various battery systems.
Synthetic graphite anode materials for lithium-ion batteries from SGL Carbon can be found in many rapidly growing markets, such as electric vehicles, stationary energy storage systems, and mobile end user devices. One renowned partner of SGL Carbon is the market leader Hitachi Chemicals Corporation, which we have supplied with anode materials for lithium-ion batteries for end user and automotive applications for almost two decades. Compared with natural graphite, synthetic graphite from SGL Carbon features a better performance, higher quality consistency, faster production scalability and a superior profile with regards to environmental protection and safety in production.
As one of the largest and only major western manufacturer of synthetic graphite anode materials in the world, SGL Carbon is also closely involved in the advancement of the technology for lithium-ion batteries and is a member of various networks and research co-operations.