Umicore outlines its European roadmap for cathode materials by selecting a production site in Nysa, Poland

Further to its announcement earlier this year of a first production plant to manufacture cathode materials for the European automotive market, Umicore has now selected a site in Nysa, Poland, for this investment.

The plant will build upon the state-of-the-art and proprietary production technologies developed to meet the highest automotive performance and quality standards. The first phase of this investment is included in the € 660 million programme announced earlier this year and is due to start deliveries in late 2020.

Nysa is in the vicinity of its European customers and will give access to a skilled technical workforce as well as low-carbon electricity supply. The first phase is expected to create up to 400 jobs. The local authorities and Umicore aim to build a long-standing, mutually beneficial relationship thereby providing a stable environment for Europe’s first substantial cathode material factory.

Umicore has also decided to build a new Process Competence Center at its existing site in Olen, Belgium, where it operates one of its largest R&D centers. The center will further strengthen Umicore’s leadership in innovative energy-efficient production processes which will be applied to its high-technology installations worldwide. This investment is expected to be commissioned in late 2019 and will be employing around 20 researchers.

Marc Grynberg, CEO of Umicore, commented: “Both decisions are major milestones for Umicore and will significantly contribute to the European Union’s initiative to promulgate a leading rechargeable battery industry based on innovative technologies and a sustainable supply chain.”