A new joint venture plans to spend $60 million and add 133 jobs for a production facility in Liberty that will make parts for electronic vehicle batteries.
FTBC, a joint venture between Fujihatsu Tech America and Toyota Tsusho America, will make and sell prismatic aluminum cell cases and cell covers with discharge valves to meet the increasing demand for automotive batteries.
The manufacturing facility is scheduled to be completed this year, with mass production starting in 2025. The initial production volume is planned to be 2.7 million units per month, increasing to 3.6 million units per month after January 2026.
The new operation will support the nearby Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina facility.
FTBC’s projected capital investment over five years will exceed $60 million in machinery and equipment, and the company will create at least 133 jobs over that same five-year period.
FTBC was established in July 2023 and the joint venture was publicly announced earlier this month. The new company is 60% owned by Fujihatsu Tech America, which will lend its technical expertise to the project, and 40% by Toyota Tsusho America, a Toyota subsidiary, which will provide administrative and operational support.
FTBC will receive training support from the North Carolina Community College System. The training will be administered locally by Randolph Community College.
“On behalf of FTBC, we are grateful for Randolph County’s and North Carolina’s warm welcome and support of this project,” said Marissa Baxter, FTBC human resources manager, in a statement. “We are excited to join Randolph County’s thriving business community and look forward to growing with the Piedmont Triad into the future.”
The plant also received support from the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.