"Not only electric vehicles, but also robots, AI (artificial intelligence), and next-generation mobility industries — opportunities for ternary batteries with higher energy density will certainly open up significantly."
Lee Dong-chae, founder of Ecopro, stated as much at the "28th Anniversary Ceremony" held at the Pohang campus on the 22nd, saying, "Companies that prepare for the future during downturns are true strong players.
Therefore, let us further enhance our quality competitiveness through unique technology, reduce costs even more, and proactively prepare for the future that customers desire." Ecopro started in 1998 in Ochang, Chungcheongbuk-do, with one employee and a capital of 100 million won, growing into a global battery materials company over 28 years.
The founder evaluated Ecopro's past 28 years as a history of challenges. He said, "As a pioneer in the environmental market, we have contributed to enhancing national competitiveness through the domestication of environmental technology," adding, "Walking the path no one else has taken was the history of Ecopro."
He further emphasized, "While others were watching the market, we saw the future, and the market ultimately moved in the direction we had prepared for."
In fact, Ecopro grew centered on environmental businesses by domesticating chemical filters for semiconductor processes, which had previously relied on imports, and developing greenhouse gas reduction catalyst technology.
Based on this, after entering the secondary battery cathode material business in the early 2000s, it laid the foundation for overseas market entry by supplying nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) cathode materials to Japan's Sony in 2013.
Since then, from 2017 to the present, it has invested approximately 3.3 trillion won to build a Closed Loop ecosystem linking precursor and cathode material businesses with battery recycling in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
He also emphasized growth through the recruitment of local talent. Ecopro began its business in Ochang, Chungcheongbuk-do, and expanded its production base to Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, with 9 out of every 10 employees coming from non-metropolitan areas.
He said, "Technology is made by people, innovation is made by people, and the future is also made by people," adding, "Ecopro's most precious asset is not equipment, buildings, or capital, but people."
in INDUSTRY
