SEMCORP Group
SEMCORP Group is a Chinese advanced-materials manufacturer best known as a global producer of lithium-ion battery separator film.
Last updated October 9, 2026
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Overview
SEMCORP Group, formally Yunnan Energy New Material Co., Ltd., is a Chinese multinational advanced-materials company whose principal business is the development and manufacture of separator film for lithium-ion batteries. Battery separators are thin, engineered membranes placed between a battery's positive and negative electrodes. They allow ionic movement while helping prevent direct contact between the electrodes, making them an important component in rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and energy-storage systems. The company traces its origins to a packaging business established in China in 1996 by brothers Paul Xiaoming Lee and Tony Xiaohua Li. Both founders had studied and worked in the United States before returning to China. The original business focused on cigarette labels and packaging, and the group subsequently expanded into broader flexible packaging and specialty-film activities. Its non-battery portfolio has included printing packages, packing boxes, liquid wrapping papers, high-grade wrapping papers, biaxially oriented polypropylene films, and related products. SEMCORP's strategic transformation has centered on lithium-ion battery materials. Its separator-film operations include wet-process and coated separator products, with coating technology used to tailor separators for different battery chemistries and performance requirements. The company supplies major battery and electric-vehicle manufacturers, including LG Chem, CATL, BYD, and Samsung SDI, according to the referenced encyclopedia material. In 2019, SEMCORP was described as having overtaken Asahi Kasei to become the world's largest supplier of lithium-ion battery separator film by volume. International expansion accelerated from 2019 onward. The company announced a licensing arrangement with Teijin in November 2019 concerning coated-separator manufacturing. In November 2020, it announced plans for its first overseas separator-film plant in Debrecen, Hungary. In 2021, SEMCORP announced a joint venture with Polypore International to produce dry-process separator film in China and another joint venture with Chinese battery maker EVE. In May 2022, it announced plans for a North American separator-film facility in Sidney, Ohio. SEMCORP is therefore positioned at the intersection of advanced materials, battery manufacturing, electric mobility, and energy storage. Its brand identity is primarily industrial and business-to-business rather than consumer-facing: customers purchase engineered films and packaging materials that become components of other companies' batteries or products. The group's growth profile depends on battery demand, electric-vehicle adoption, customer qualification cycles, manufacturing scale, process technology, and environmental and safety compliance at its facilities. It is publicly traded in China under ticker 002812.SZ.
History
SEMCORP Group was established in China in 1996 by brothers Paul Xiaoming Lee and Tony Xiaohua Li. Before returning to China, the founders studied and worked in the United States. Their first business produced cigarette labels and packaging, giving the company an initial base in printing, converting, and flexible-packaging manufacturing. Over time, the group broadened its materials portfolio. It developed capabilities in packaging products, wrapping papers, polypropylene films, boxes, and related products. This provided experience in polymer processing, film production, coating, and industrial-scale manufacturing, capabilities that later became relevant to battery materials. The group's major strategic turning point was its move into lithium-ion battery separator film. Separators require tightly controlled thickness, porosity, mechanical strength, thermal performance, and surface characteristics. SEMCORP expanded its capabilities in both separator production and coating, allowing it to serve battery manufacturers seeking materials adapted to specific cell designs and chemistries. By 2019, SEMCORP had become, by volume, the world's largest lithium-ion battery separator-film supplier according to the referenced Wikipedia material, overtaking Asahi Kasei. In November of that year, it announced a licensing arrangement with Teijin related to coated-separator manufacturing. The arrangement reflected the importance of coating technology in the separator business and supported the company's efforts to expand its product and process capabilities. SEMCORP began internationalizing its production footprint in 2020. In November, it announced its first overseas separator-film manufacturing site in Debrecen, Hungary. The project was reported as involving an investment of 65 billion forints. The Hungarian plant was intended to place production closer to European battery and automotive customers. In January 2021, SEMCORP announced its first international joint venture, partnering with U.S.-based Polypore International to manufacture dry-process separator film in China. Dry-process separators represent a different production route from wet-process films and can broaden a supplier's technical offering. In August 2021, SEMCORP also announced a joint venture with Chinese battery producer EVE to manufacture lithium-ion battery separator film in China, strengthening its connection with a major battery-cell customer. In May 2022, the group announced plans for a North American separator-film facility in Sidney, Ohio. This continued its effort to build manufacturing capacity near important regional battery and electric-vehicle markets. Together, the Hungary and Ohio projects marked a shift from a predominantly China-based manufacturing network toward a more geographically distributed operating model. SEMCORP's history is consequently defined by diversification from packaging into advanced films, followed by specialization in battery separators and international expansion. Its current business scope combines battery materials with legacy packaging and film products. The company remains an industrial supplier rather than a consumer brand, and its commercial importance is tied to the scale-up of lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles, and stationary energy storage.
- 2022
North American facility announced
[1]SEMCORP announced plans for a separator-film manufacturing facility in Sidney, Ohio.
- 2021
Dry-process separator joint venture with Polypore
[1]SEMCORP announced a joint venture with Polypore International to make dry-process separator film in China.
- 2021
Separator-film joint venture with EVE
[1]SEMCORP announced a manufacturing joint venture with EVE in China.
- 2020
First overseas production project announced
[1]The company announced a separator-film facility in Debrecen, Hungary, its first overseas manufacturing site.
- 2019
Becomes the leading lithium-ion separator supplier by volume
[1]SEMCORP overtook Asahi Kasei to become the world's largest lithium-ion battery separator-film supplier by volume, according to the referenced material.
- 2019
Teijin coating-technology licensing arrangement
[1]SEMCORP announced a licensing deal with Teijin concerning coated-separator manufacturing.
- 1996
Founding of the original packaging business
[1]Paul Xiaoming Lee and Tony Xiaohua Li returned to China and began a business producing cigarette labels and packaging.
Products and positioning
A large-scale, technology-focused supplier of battery separator film and other advanced films, serving battery manufacturers, electric-vehicle supply chains, and packaging customers.
Battery materials
Lithium-ion battery separator film
Thin polymer films used inside rechargeable lithium-ion cells to separate the anode and cathode while permitting ion transport. SEMCORP's separator business is its principal growth platform and supplies battery manufacturers serving electric vehicles, electronics, and energy storage.
Battery materials · 2019
Coated separators
Separator films with applied surface coatings designed to improve performance characteristics such as thermal stability, mechanical behavior, or compatibility with particular cell designs. SEMCORP expanded this capability through a licensing arrangement with Teijin.
Battery materials · 2021
Dry-process separator film
Battery separator film manufactured through a dry-process route rather than a wet-process route. SEMCORP pursued this product area through its announced joint venture with Polypore International, broadening its technology and manufacturing portfolio.
Packaging materials · 1996
Packaging and specialty films
The group's established packaging activities include printing packages, packing boxes, liquid wrapping papers, high-grade wrapping papers, biaxially oriented polypropylene films, and related products. These businesses represent the company's historical base outside battery materials.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2022
Announce North American manufacturing expansionStrategyBackground
The company sought production capacity closer to North American battery and electric-vehicle supply chains.
Action taken
SEMCORP announced plans for a separator-film facility in Sidney, Ohio.
Aftermath
The announcement extended the group's geographic expansion beyond China and Europe.
2021
Create a dry-process separator joint venture with PolyporeM&ABackground
SEMCORP aimed to add dry-process separator manufacturing to its battery-materials capabilities.
Action taken
The company announced a joint venture with Polypore International to manufacture dry-process separator film in China.
Aftermath
The partnership expanded SEMCORP's technology and product-route coverage.
2021
Form a separator-film joint venture with EVEM&ABackground
Closer cooperation with battery-cell manufacturers can support demand alignment and production scale.
Action taken
SEMCORP announced a joint venture with Chinese battery maker EVE to manufacture lithium-ion battery separator film in China.
Aftermath
The arrangement strengthened SEMCORP's relationship with a major domestic battery producer.
2020
Establish overseas production in HungaryStrategyBackground
SEMCORP sought to serve European battery and automotive customers from a local manufacturing base.
Action taken
The company announced its first overseas separator-film facility in Debrecen, Hungary.
Aftermath
The project marked the beginning of SEMCORP's international manufacturing expansion.
Reported planned investment. 65 billion Hungarian forints (Announced November 2020)
2019
Expand coated-separator capability through Teijin licensingStrategyBackground
Coated separators are an important segment of the lithium-ion battery-materials market and require specialized surface-treatment capabilities.
Action taken
SEMCORP announced a licensing arrangement with Teijin for coated-separator manufacturing.
Aftermath
The agreement supported SEMCORP's expansion of its coated battery-separator offering.
Sources1 sources
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