SK Nexilis’ first overseas factory to be in Southeast Asia
To be announced within the year
SK Nexilis’ first overseas copper foil factory will be located in Southeast Asia, a company executive said.
The company is considering customer demand, market’s growth potential and utility bills in selecting the country to build the factory, company executive Lee Jae-hong said.
Europe and US were also being considered for more factories later, Lee said.
Last month, SK Nexilis touted the production of a copper foil with thickness of 4.5 micrometers, 1.33meters wide and 56.5 kilometers long.
Making the foil thin allows more anode materials to be packed in the battery __ length and width of the foil allows for increased productivity for batter makers as they need to swap less rolls.
Its fourth factory at Jeongeup is more automated compared to the first, second and third factories. The fourth factory has been in full operation as of the fourth quarter.
Rolled up copper foils are moved by robots at the factory. The fifth and sixth factories that are under construction will go live in 2022 and also be more automated.
Completion of all six factories will allow SK Nexilis to have an annual production capacity of 52,000 metric tonnes __ a jump from the current 34,000 metric tonnes.
The company has claimed it was unmatched in recipe and handling of copper foils. It can make the foils elastics with high tensile strength while making them easy to handle for customers.