08-17-09

Congressman Hinchey Inaugurates Primet’s New Manufacturing Facility

August 17, 2009 | Ithaca, NY | Representative Maurice Hinchey (NY-22) led a ribbon cutting event to mark the start of production at Primet Precision Materials’ new manufacturing facility in Ithaca, NY. Primet CEO Larry Thomas also invited the Congressman to press the start button for a ceremonial first batch on the company’s newest full-scale production line.

Primet’s new manufacturing facility produces electrode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIB). It employs Primet’s patented NanoScission™ process technology for the manufacture of many of the most important battery materials at globally competitive costs and performance.  This includes materials for both current and future generations of electric drive vehicles (EDV).
 
“Congressman Hinchey is well known for his advocacy of renewable energy to help the US achieve energy independence as well as to curb global warming,” said Mr. Thomas.  ‘’Because renewable sources like solar and wind are intermittent, exploiting their full potential will require reliable and safe energy storage devices, including advanced batteries such as LIB. Lithium ion batteries also represent the next phase in battery development for electric drive vehicles. The Congressman is keenly aware of this and has been an early and steadfast supporter of Primet’s work in advanced battery materials.”
 
”Lithium ion” actually refers to a family of battery chemistries, each of which offers different trade-offs in terms of energy, power, cost, lifetime, and safety, allowing them to be the leading choice for batteries with radically different performance requirements across hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles.  Primet’s novel process technology allows for the manufacture of high-performing grades of almost all of these chemistries, making Primet an important collaboration partner for automotive companies and their suppliers around the world.
 
Today, most lithium ion batteries and battery materials are made in Asia. “It’s critically important that we develop a domestic source for these materials if we expect to create a domestic industry for lithium ion batteries,” said Mr. Thomas.  This was underscored by the attendance at today’s ceremony by representatives of Primet’s partners in the manufacture of advanced batteries for both commercial and military applications.
 
The new manufacturing facility is located in the South Hill Business Campus where Primet also maintains its administrative offices. With the completion of the project, Primet’s production capacity is 100 tons per year, enough to build the equivalent of 7,200 hybrid-electric vehicle battery packs (capacity of 5 kWh each). The firm plans further expansion of the facility to 500 tons per year or more in 2010.
 
The facility was designed by architectural firm QPK Designs (Syracuse, NY).  Engineering and environmental services were provided by Clough Harbour and Associates (Syracuse, NY). Streeter Associates (Elmira, NY) was the general contractor for the project.