Panasonic to increase lithium-ion battery production capacity

Japan's leading manufacturer Panasonic Corp. will increase domestic production of lithium-ion battery used for automobiles to meet robust demand in the United States, company officials said on Thursday. The electronics maker will resume operation of idled lines at the Suminoe Plant in Osaka Prefecture, which produces batteries for U.S. automaker Tesla Motors Inc., as early as next January, while another factory in Kaizuka City in the prefecture, which the company has suspended its operation since March, will reopen by the end of next fiscal year, Panasonic spokesperson Megumi Kitagawa said to Xinhua. She also said that the company will add some manufacturing lines at the Kasai plant in Hyogo Prefecture, which produces batteries for domestic automakers, by the end of the current fiscal year through next March. Local media said Panasonic's small battery business including lithium-ion batteries posted an operating profit of 4.1 billion yen in the April-June quarter, supplementing the company's losses stemming from flagging sales of home appliances.