ENTEK began the research and development of Polyethylene Battery (PE) Separator production in 1984. Commercial production began in 1987 when the primary manufacturing plant opened in Lebanon, Oregon during 1987. Annual capacity is currently over 200 million m2 per year from production facilities in Lebanon, OR and Killingworth, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Our market share is estimated to be +40% of the global Starting, Lighting and Ignition, PE Separators market. To date, we have shipped over one billion square meters of the best battery separator material in the world.

Initially, ENTEK shipped its separators to customers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. In 1989 it established a joint venture with Cookson Ltd. in Newcastle, called Cookson Entek Ltd. That structure changed when in 1996, ENTEK took complete control of the joint venture and became established worldwide, supplying cutting-edge technology products around the globe. In 1999, ENTEK purchased Cookson's equity and became sole owner of ENTEK International Ltd.

ENTEK Manufacturing, Inc. (EMI) has always designed and built all of our manufacturing, processing, and tooling equipment in-house, ensuring exact attention to detail and quality. ENTEK has multiple manufacturing lines all of which are capable of producing the industry-standard RhinoHide® battery separators. All of our lines are based on continuous processing - from the raw materials to finished product winding. This manufacturing approach supports ENTEK's tireless attention to the tightest tolerances and process control. In 1997, ENTEK became the first battery separator manufacturer in the world to achieve QS-9000 certification as then required by the Big Three automakers.

In April 1998, ENTEK received its fifth consecutive "Worldwide Supplier of the Year" award from General Motors. In 1997, ENTEK was pleased to accept the Oregon Governor's Occupational Safety and Health Award. In 1996, ENTEK was awarded East Penn Manufacturing's Certified Supplier Award. In 1994, ENTEK's president, Jim Young, was named Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year in Oregon. ENTEK was the first-ever recipient of the International Battery Manufacturers Association (IBMA) Award for Quality in 1992.

At the turn of this century, we realized that our core competence is the extrusion and extraction of filled or unfilled micro-porous polymer membranes. In 2003, after some years of research and development, we began producing commercial quantities of battery separator material for Lithium Ion and Lithium Ion Polymer battery systems. There is a pretty good chance that lithium-ion battery in your cell phone has separator material in it from ENTEK. This is now a significant part of our business model and contributes to the health and diversity of the company.

Currently we are actively pursuing 2 other avenues for product development:

• Electrode Films and Assemblies for Supercapacitors. Supercapacitors are expected to have a future in hybrid vehicles, as energy recuperation and restoration devices for regenerative breaking or idle start-stop systems. Electric power-assisted steering systems are expected to use supercapacitors in the future as well. Supercapacitors can be used to eliminate electric power grid micro-shorts. With its UHMWPE processing capability, ENTEK is already producing activated carbon films, and laminating these films to both sides of a current collector. Our product is unique in the world: strong, clean, and capable of mass production quantities and lowest possible costs.

• Breathable Membranes. For its first business venture outside the world of Energy Storage Devices, ENTEK is producing bi-axially oriented hydrophobic micro-porous films that are laminated to polyester and nylon for the world's waterproof / breathable specialty fabric and industrial textile market. With excellent breathability, proven in 6 different international breathability test standards (including JIS 1099 B2), our products can be used in active and extreme sportswear, professional uniforms and outdoor wear, as well as numerous other outdoor work, military, and recreational activities.