Expansions: Orion breaks ground on battery materials plant in US; Toyo Ink India to boost adhesive capacity by 30%

Speciality chemicals firm Orion S.A. says it has broken ground on a plant in Texas, US, that will be the only facility in the country producing acetylene-based conductive additives for lithium-ion batteries and other applications vital for the global shift to electrification.

The site in the city of La Porte, southeast of Houston, will create many high-skilled jobs – both in construction and technical fields – and bring innovative technology to the American economy. The battery additives produced by Orion’s plant will be super clean, with only one-tenth of the carbon footprint of other commonly used materials, it claims.

Every battery requires conductive additives. They enable a more efficient flow of electricity and extend the lifetime of lithium-ion batteries – the most valuable components of electric vehicles. The material also plays an essential role in high-voltage cables used for wind and solar farms.

The additives produced at the La Porte plant will be made from acetylene, a colourless gas that Orion’s production process turns into powder with exceptional purity demanded by leading battery manufacturers. The acetylene will be supplied by a neighbouring site owned by Equistar Chemicals LP, a subsidiary of LyondellBasell.

“Orion is already the sole producer of acetylene-based conductive additives in Europe,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “Our plant in La Porte will be a pivotal step toward strengthening the regional supply of conductive additives in the rapidly growing US battery market.”

Orion’s plant in La Porte is similar to one the company has in the city of Berre-l'Étang in southern France. The facility also uses acetylene from LyondellBasell.

With the LaPorte project, key equipment procurement and off-site fabrication are already at an advanced stage. Field construction activities are ramping up, with the facility start-up expected in the second quarter of 2025.

In other news, Toyo Ink India, a member of the Japan-based chemicals manufacturer Artience Group (formerly Toyo Ink Group), has announced plans to expand its production capacity for solvent-based adhesives at its manufacturing site in Gujarat, India. A new production facility will be built on-site at the Gujarat plant as part of expansion to meet rising local demand. The plant is slated to begin operations in April 2026 and will help to boost the Gujarat site’s adhesive capacity by 3.5 times its current output.

In 2014, Toyo Ink India began importing adhesives from Japan and selling them to the local market for automotive interiors and has over the years expanded applications to home appliances and labels. In December 2021, a production operation was established in India, in Gujarat, enabling the company to more promptly respond to customer needs and to further grow its business. As demand from these markets grew, the capacity for adhesive production had become tight, leading to the decision to further invest in production to support current and future growth.

India ranks fifth in the world’s GDP rankings in 2024 and is expected to jump to the second spot in 20 years’ time. Accordingly, industrial adhesive demand in the country is projected to rise due to growing sales of new automobiles as a result of urbanisation and a shift to nuclear families, as well as the rapid growth of consumer electronics market.

"Toyo Ink India is on track to become the top solvent-based adhesive manufacturer in India, with a targeted market share of 30% in 2026,”said Naotoshi Nakamura, Chairman of Toyo Ink India. “In line with the artience group’s global strategy, we are working to expand adhesives applications to the healthcare and other fields, while positioning India as an export hub to the Middle East and Africa, regions where economic growth is expected in the future.”

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