Contact
Sumitomo Chemical to Restructure Lithium-Ion Secondary Battery Separator Business
Nov. 13, 2025
Sumitomo Chemical has decided to restructure its lithium-ion secondary battery separator PERVIO® business by the end of March 2026, ceasing production operations for the product at its Ohe Works in Niihama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, and consolidating manufacturing and related functions for PERVIO® at the site of its subsidiary SSLM Co., Ltd. (“SSLM”), located in Daegu, South Korea, which boasts greater capacity and higher productivity. Meanwhile, in Japan, Sumitomo Chemical will focus on the research and development of next-generation innovative materials. By implementing these measures, Sumitomo Chemical aims to achieve sustained growth of the separator business.
PERVIO® is a heat-resistant separator for lithium-ion secondary batteries that takes advantage of the properties of an aramid polymer, such as superior thermal stability and high reliability. Sumitomo Chemical developed a proprietary aramid-coating technology, and it began mass production of PERVIO® using the technology at the Ohe Works in Japan in 2006. PERVIO® has received a high reputation from many customers for its quality and stable supply. To meet growing demand, the Company established production for the separator in South Korea, at SSLM, in 2017, and it has continued to deliver improvements, providing thinner and more durable heat-resistant separators, and to enhance its competitiveness by improving productivity.
Through the restructuring measures, Sumitomo Chemical will strive to enhance the competitiveness of this business, particularly in the electric vehicle (EV) market, which is expected to continue to grow in the medium to long term, as well as in the lithium-ion secondary battery materials market.
The Sumitomo Chemical Group will continue to develop innovative technologies in the battery materials field and to contribute to the wider adoption of EVs and the advancement of a smart mobility society.
Contact
Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.
Corporate Communications Dept.
https://www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp/english/contact/public/