An official groundbreaking ceremony recently celebrated the construction work for the CS Energy Materials Ltd. (CSEM) plant in Minamata, a joint venture between H.C. Starck and Japan New Chisso (JNC) Corp. for the development and production of cathode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries used to power electric and hybrid cars. Since the founding of the joint venture in September 2010, CSEM had primarily focused on research and development of the cathode materials, as well as and production engineering at the sites in Goslar (Germany) and Minamata. Tested by independent institutions, samples of the cathode materials have reportedly achieved excellent results. The plant in Minamata aims to commence operations by mid-2012.

“With our joint venture, we are aiming to enter into the fast growing lithium-ion battery cathode material market for electrical and hybrid cars, especially in Europe and in Asia,” said Axel Westerhaus, a member of the H.C. Starck executive board. “Our highly skilled researchers worked very hard during the past months to ensure a successful start of the plant in Minamata. We have received very positive technical feedbacks from several major clients on our material samples developed by CSEM.”

“CSEM’s principal is to supply the high-quality products with reasonable price for our customers. As the next target, we make this business successful soon and aim to expand our capacities by building up a second plant,” said Kazuyuki Marukawa, senior executive vice president of CSEM.

For more information, visit www.chisso.co.jp/english or www.hcstarck.com.