Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials, a division of Mexican chemical manufacturing company Mexichem, plans to convert an 11,000-square-foot building near the Beltline and Interstate 90 interchange into a production center for the electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries, according to The Capital Times. The new facility is set to open later this year and stands to make Madison a hub in the manufacturing processes for rechargeable batteries.
Orbia Fluor’s new facility will produce custom electrolytes that allow a charge transfer to happen as batteries use their charge. It will join a handful of similar companies in the U.S., most of which produce the type and volume of electrolytes needed for electric vehicles.
Orbia Fluor began manufacturing custom electrolytes last year at its existing research and development center, located at 3587 Anderson St. The new facility will allow the company to scale up production from roughly one ton per year to around 400 tons per year. It anticipates delivering its electrolyte to clients within four weeks, about twice as quickly as international competitors.
The company’s clients so far include battery manufacturers Navitas Systems, Enovix, Lithion Battery, and Forge Nano. The Department of Defense also recently awarded the company an $8.4 million contract, as the U.S. military buys technology that uses lithium-ion batteries.
The company expects to hire 36 new employees for the facility by 2026.
