Toyobo

　Toyobo has begun to consider doubling the production capacity of volatile organic compound (VOC) processing equipment. The investment amount is expected to be more than 1 billion yen, and the production increase system will be established by the end of FY2022 at the earliest. The equipment is used in the separator manufacturing process for lithium-ion secondary batteries (LIB), and demand is growing as automobiles become more electrified. The number of inquiries for this equipment is increasing, and it is urgent to respond to increased production. [Photo] Toyota's ultra-compact EV "Seapod" VOC processing equipment is used to remove VOCs contained in the exhaust of factory production equipment and to recover high-purity solvents. Toyobo commercialized this device using activated carbon fiber in 1975, and has delivered more than 1,500 units to date. It is used to recover methylene chloride in the LIB separator production process. In addition to strengthening the facilities of the group companies to increase production, we will also ask outsourcers to respond to increased production. Although the company's orders for VOC processing equipment temporarily decreased due to the corona crisis, orders for LIB separators are trending steadily. Demand is expected to grow further as the race to develop electric vehicles (EVs) to become carbon neutral (substantially zero greenhouse gas emissions) is accelerating. For this reason, President Ikuo Takeuchi said, "In the near future, we believe it will be necessary to make a decision to increase the number of VOC processing equipment."

Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun