Welcron Hantec: Government’s push to strengthen the battery industry to spur its production-equipment business for rechargeable-battery materials

[Financial News] Welcron Hantec, a KOSDAQ-listed environmental plant specialist, said on the 30th that it expects to benefit in its production-equipment business for rechargeable-battery materials as the government pursues measures to strengthen the competitiveness of the battery industry.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced at the recent ceremony marking the 6th Battery Industry Day that it would draw up measures to strengthen the competitiveness of the battery industry within the year. The government plans to consider tax incentives to promote domestic production and strengthen cooperation between battery-cell manufacturers and materials, components and equipment companies. This has raised expectations for increased investment in domestic battery-materials production facilities and greater demand for related process equipment.
Welcron Hantec supplies equipment needed for rechargeable-battery materials production processes, drawing on its industrial concentration and crystallization technologies. The company has carried out a range of projects, including crystallization plants for lithium sulfate, lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate, as well as nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate, building up its technical expertise and business experience in processes related to key battery materials.
The company’s technologies can also be used to treat wastewater and by-products generated during manufacturing and to recover valuable resources. Building on its experience supplying related equipment, including concentration and crystallization plants for wastewater from rechargeable-battery manufacturing, Welcron Hantec is expanding into critical-mineral recycling and waste-battery recycling.
The company is also continuing to secure orders in overseas markets for rechargeable-battery materials. Welcron Hantec said that its Chinese subsidiary had secured four orders, worth a total of 24.2 billion won, for energy equipment from major Chinese rechargeable-battery separator manufacturers through the third quarter of this year.
Industry observers expect business opportunities to expand for companies making related process equipment if policies to strengthen Korea’s battery-production base lead to investment in materials-production facilities. They also expect concentration and crystallization technologies used in producing key materials and recovering resources to play a growing role.
A Welcron Hantec representative said, “We expect investment in domestic production facilities for rechargeable-battery materials and demand for related equipment to increase as a result of the government’s policy to strengthen the competitiveness of the battery industry.” The representative added, “We will expand our business in equipment for rechargeable-battery materials, drawing on the technical expertise and project experience we have built up in production processes for key materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt.”

[email protected] Choi Doo-seon Reporter