EcoPro Founder Lee Dongchae: "Opportunities for Ternary Batteries Will Surely Expand Significantly"

EcoPro Marks 28th Anniversary in Pohang
Calls for Stronger Technological and Quality Competitiveness, Lower Costs
Invested 3.3 Trillion Won in Pohang... Built a Materials Supply Chain

Lee Dong-chae, founder of EcoPro, said, "The opportunities for ternary batteries will surely expand significantly," and called for stronger technological and quality competitiveness and lower costs.

EcoPro founder Lee Dong-chae delivers commemorative remarks at a ceremony marking the company's 28th anniversary at its Pohang Campus on the 22nd. EcoPro

EcoPro said it held a ceremony marking its 28th anniversary at its Pohang campus on October 22. In his commemorative remarks, Lee said, "Demand for batteries with higher energy density will continue to grow, not only for electric vehicles but also for robots, artificial intelligence (AI), and next-generation mobility industries."

Ternary batteries use three metals in their cathode materials: nickel and cobalt, along with either manganese or aluminum. EcoPro's main business is producing ternary cathode materials.

Lee emphasized the company's pioneering spirit, saying, "EcoPro's history has been about being the first to take paths no one else has taken." He added, "Companies that prepare for the future during a downturn are the true leaders," and urged employees to "further advance our unrivaled technology, strengthen our quality competitiveness, and lower costs, so that we can proactively prepare for the future our customers want."

EcoPro started in 1998 in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province, with one employee and 100 million won in capital. After localizing chemical filters for semiconductor processes and developing catalyst technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it entered the secondary battery cathode materials business in the early 2000s. In 2013, it supplied nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) cathode materials to Sony.

Since 2017, EcoPro has invested approximately 3.3 trillion won to build a resource-circulation system in Pohang linking precursor and cathode material production with recycling. According to the company, approximately 90% of its employees are from outside the Seoul metropolitan area.

Lee stressed, "Technology is created by people, innovation is created by people, and the future is created by people," adding, "EcoPro's most valuable asset is not its equipment, buildings, or capital, but its people."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.