Iljin Materials, investing 300 billion KRW in the second expansion of Malaysian plant
Plant #2 and #3 also planned for expansion. Will produce 45,000t of elecfoil
Iljin Materials a secondary battery core material subsidiary of Iljin Group, announced on March 7th that they will invest 300 billion KRW for the second expansion of its Malaysian plant, which is their first overseas plant.
Iljin Materials Co., will expand their second and third factories at the same time. They are planning to secure an additional production capacity of 20,000 tons/year. After the expansion is complete, Iljin Materials’ annual production capacity of elecfoils for secondary batteries will increase from 25,000 tons to 45,000 tons. A total of 30,000 tons/year worth of elecfoil is produced in the Malaysian plant. It is twice as much as the production of the Iksan plant.
The company explained that as they were able to verify their competitive edge in manufacturing by completing the certification process from a major secondary battery manufacturer, they have decided to expand their facilities quickly to get prepared for the increasing demands.
Yang Jeom-sik, the CEO of Iljin Materials Malaysia, stated that “We have decided to rapidly expand our Malaysian plant as the manufacturing competitiveness of our Malaysian plant has been verified. From this move, we will be able to secure a competitive edge over the Chinese companies which are currently expanding their manufacturing facilities.”
Iljin Materials added that when the production of the Malaysian plant is stabilized, they will use the Malaysian plant as a manufacturing plant for elecfoils (secondary batteries). At the same time, they will use the domestic plants for producing high value products such as elecfoils for next-gen electronic automobiles, semiconductor packaging. This way they can use a two-track strategy to expand their market and create new opportunities.
Elecfoil is a very thin material (thickness under 10 µm) which is made of copper that is used for micro-plating. It is made by electrolysis of copper sulfate solution and used in the production of cathode collectors for large secondary batteries in electric vehicles and ESS (Energy Storage System).