Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials Scales Up Custom Electrolyte Production, Strengthens U.S. Supply Chain for Lithium-ion Batteries

– Domestically produced, low lead time products will meet increased demand following successful beta launch –

BOSTON, March 21, 2024 – Orbia Advance Corporation S.A.B. de C.V.’s (BMV: ORBIA*) Fluor & Energy Materials business today announced it will scale up its custom electrolyte offering for critical non-EV applications following a highly successful beta launch in 2023. The high quality, domestically produced lithium-ion battery electrolytes are commercially available now and further the business’ commitment to enable the clean energy transition with locally produced battery materials.

The lithium-ion battery chain is expected to grow by over 30 percent annually from 2022 to 2030, reaching a market value of over $400 billion¹. The custom electrolyte offering plays a crucial role in optimizing performance, efficiency and safety of batteries used for consumer electronics, energy storage and other applications.

Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials successfully delivered its expanded electrolyte range to select U.S. customers at both R&D and production scale last year. After a positive response, Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials is extending the products to the wider U.S. lithium-ion battery producer market from its Madison, Wisconsin site. To support this output, a new 11,000 square foot production facility is under construction and will be operational in early 2024.

“We have been excited to see the positive response from select customers as well as domestic manufacturers for our custom electrolyte offering.” said Gregg Smith, President of Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials. “Localizing supply of key battery components is a cornerstone of Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials’ strategy to enable the energy materials revolution, and our custom electrolyte solution is an example of that commitment in action.”

The business offers state-of-the-art formulation and blending capabilities that can support a wide range of battery applications, ranging from R&D to pilot to full-scale production. Commonly used solvents, salts and additives are kept in stock to support a four-week or less lead time on most common formulations. Additionally, unique performance additives can be incorporated.

Current customers benefiting from the custom electrolyte offering include Navitas Systems, Enovix, Lithion Battery, Forge Nano and their recently announced battery unit Forge Battery. These companies are developing and producing state-of-the-art lithium-ion cells for applications including energy storage systems, consumer electronics batteries, specialty industrial batteries and batteries for the U.S. military.

The national security importance of Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials’ technology and products is highlighted by the business’ recent $8.4 million contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense, which relies on a secure supply of high performance, safe and customized electrolytes for critical missions. The award was made possible through the support of U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), who has worked to secure federal funding in support of developing the rapidly growing lithium-ion battery industry in Wisconsin. Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials’ electrolyte research, development and production work supports high technology jobs in Madison and will lead to continued economic growth in this sector.

Sen. Baldwin said, “I’m proud to have secured federal funding to ensure our armed forces have the domestic battery technology they need to keep themselves and our country safe. I’m happy to support the partnership between Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials and our military, growing our Made in Wisconsin manufacturing workforce and helping power the tools that our men and women in uniform rely on.”

“Now is the right time to expand our supply to the growing battery development and manufacturing community,” said Miki Oljaca, Vice President of Growth and Technology for Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials. “Our high quality, low lead time custom electrolyte offering will support varied applications including medical, consumer, industrial and defense market requirements. Our custom electrolyte production site is located close to our battery center of excellence R&D facility in Madison, Wisconsin, which will enable technical support and accelerated product development.”

The custom electrolyte offering was incubated at Silatronix, which was acquired by Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials in November of 2021. The Silatronix team brings decades of experience in developing electrolyte components, including electrolytes suited for the extreme safety and reliability demands of military applications.

Today’s announcement bolsters Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials’ overall strategic position as a key supplier of battery materials.  With our recent announcement for our joint venture with SYENSQO (formally Solvay) to produce PVDF and our planned effort to produce domestic LiPF6 with support from a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials is working to ensure key Fluorine-based battery materials are secure and available for domestic use.

To learn more about Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials business, its custom electrolyte offering and battery materials, visit https://www.kouraglobal.com/applications/battery-materials/.

About Orbia

Orbia Advance Corporation, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: ORBIA*) is a company driven by a shared purpose: to advance life around the world. Orbia operates in the Polymer Solutions (Vestolit and Alphagary), Building & Infrastructure (Wavin), Precision Agriculture (Netafim), Connectivity Solutions (Dura-Line) and Fluor & Energy Materials (Koura) sectors. The five Orbia business groups have a collective focus on expanding access to health and well-being, reinventing the future of cities and homes, ensuring food, water and sanitation security, connecting communities to information and enabling the energy transition with basic and advanced materials, specialty products and innovative solutions. Orbia has a global team of over 24,000 employees, commercial activities in more than 100 countries and operations in over 50, with global headquarters in Boston, Mexico City, Amsterdam and Tel Aviv. The company generated $8.2 billion in revenue in 2023. To learn more, visit: orbia.com

About Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials

Orbia’s Fluor & Energy Materials business (branded as Koura) is a global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of Fluoroproducts that play a fundamental role in enhancing everyday lives and shortening the path to a sustainable, circular economy. Backed by over 35 years of experience, Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials’ products are used in a vast range of applications including electric vehicles and energy storage, urban and rural infrastructure, indoor climate management, food and medicine refrigeration and even in treating respiratory conditions through the development of healthy and innovative low-GWP propellants for metered dose inhalers. Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials has 1,600 employees and 13 manufacturing facilities worldwide, serving 60 countries through a global sales and distribution network.