“We will do our best to support Chungcheong secondary battery SMEs”

Received order for 'establishment of mass production verification platform for secondary battery core materials and components'
Support for forward and backward linkage through institutional cooperation between Chungnam TP, Chungbuk TP, and KTL

[Editor's Note] Chungcheongnam-do is a key area for electric vehicles, where large battery manufacturers such as Samsung SDI and SK ON are located, along with Hyundai Motor Company's electric vehicle factories. Chungcheongnam-do, which has an ecosystem based on secondary battery-related materials and parts small and medium-sized enterprises that deal with these companies, is evaluated as having a high potential for sustainable growth of the secondary battery industry in the province. On the other hand, Chungcheongnam-do's battery industry, which has a bright outlook, could not avoid a labor shortage. It seems difficult to surpass the capital of large corporations along with the regional limitations of being a local area. Chungnam Technopark Izacheonji Technology Center is carrying out various projects to resolve the difficulties of companies located in Chungnam and to resolve the difficulties of technology development. Our magazine met with Kim Sang-ho, director of the Chungnam Technopark Secondary Battery Technology Center, to hear about the center's role, ongoing projects, and voices from the field.

▲Kim Sang-ho, Director of Chungnam Techno Park Secondary Battery Technology Center

■ Please tell us about Chungnam TP’s Secondary Battery Technology Center and its role.

The role of Chungnam Technopark Secondary Battery Technology Center is primarily aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in the region.

Mid-sized companies such as battery manufacturers SK ON, Samsung SDI, SolarEdge Technologies Korea, Umicore, Enchem, and Solbrain are located in the Chungcheong region.

We are supporting the growth of materials, parts, and equipment companies by networking with nearby small and medium-sized enterprises linked to these companies.

In particular, many companies are showing growth, especially those in the material and equipment sectors.

Because the corporate ecosystem is centered around large corporations, the growth of small businesses is slowing down, large corporations are growing rapidly, and small and medium-sized businesses tend to grow more slowly.

To support these areas, the two techno parks are working together to conduct tests on actual materials for small cell lines and tests on medium and large cell lines through Chungbuk Techno Park.

Chungnam Techno Park has been conducting the ‘Demand-linked lithium-ion battery parts and materials localization and advanced infrastructure construction project’ since 2013.It was small.

Since then, we have established a secondary battery cell manufacturing line and are carrying out cell line production for small and medium-sized enterprises, and in 2021, we completed the construction of a BMS facility and have been carrying out BMS-related businesses.

Based on this, we are currently working to strengthen core capabilities and secure technological competitiveness related to the secondary battery industry.

Many secondary battery-related companies are based in South Chungcheong Province, and forward and backward related companies are doing business there.

By winning government support projects, we are building a support system for secondary battery small and medium-sized enterprises in cooperation with related organizations as well as cluster projects, and starting in 2022, we are networking with companies through research groups, seminars, and technology exchange meetings in the Chungnam region.

We are also working to help companies grow into global powerhouses by developing sales channels for commercialization and discovering early business opportunities.

We have consistently won the contract for the ‘Establishment of a Platform for Mass Production Verification of Key Secondary Battery Materials and Components’ project hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy this year.

This project will be promoted for three years, with Chungnam Techno Park as the lead organization, and Chungbuk Techno Park, Korea Testing Laboratory, Korea Electronics Technology Institute, and Cheonan Science and Industry Promotion Agency participating to build a full-cycle platform to verify the mass production of small and medium-sized secondary battery cells.

We support secondary battery mass production, process, data-based business feasibility, verification, secondary battery mass production prototype production, test evaluation, certification support, and training of professional personnel in the Chungcheong region. there is.

We are currently recruiting beneficiary companies, and as soon as recruitment is complete, we plan to support the companies by linking up with participating organizations.

Chungnam Techno Park is also co-hosting technology exchange meetings and seminars to link up forward and backward business and provide technology updates to secondary battery-related companies through institutional cooperation support projects between the Korea Industrial Technology Testing and Research Institute.

Through these businesses, companies need to be able to go from material development to mass production lines that make cells, and they need to be able to analyze data about their materials, but until now, there has been no place to do this, nor any organization to support it.

Chungnam Techno Park aims to help secondary battery material companies in the Chungcheong region grow by giving them priority support.

■ Since many companies are located in Chungnam TP, we believe that you will hear a lot of voices from the field. I am curious about the kinds of difficulties that companies are talking about and what efforts the Secondary Battery Technology Center is making to alleviate them.

When I visit companies and talk to their CEOs, 80-90% of the time, it's a human resources issue.

Because the Chungnam region is also a local area, it does not have many highly skilled workers compared to the metropolitan area, and is having difficulty securing them.

In particular, if small and medium-sized companies provide training for more than 2-3 years, some of them end up moving to large companies, and small and medium-sized companies are unable to provide comprehensive secondary battery education.

Since they only provide training in specialized fields, short fields, and the fields they are in charge of, they do not know the overall flow, so there may be misunderstandings that arise there. To solve these issues, Chungnam Techno Park and Chungbuk Techno Park have joined forces.

Chungnam Techno Park focuses on small cells, while Chungbuk Techno Park focuses on medium- and large-sized cells, allowing them to create small cells and then move on to medium- and large-sized cells.

For material companies, material costs are becoming extremely expensive these days.

Before undertaking a mid- to large-scale business, it may be necessary to produce small cells to reduce costs and check whether mass production is possible.

In the human resources development project, Chungnam Techno Park plans to provide practical training.

Since Chungbuk Techno Park is building a medium- to large-sized cell line, and Chungnam Techno Park is building a small-sized cell line, you can visit both and receive practical training.

Since practical training is not possible when the mass production line is running, we are developing a program to enable indirect testing through AI and VR.

■ August 29th, Government What do you think about the plans related to secondary batteries in the announced roadmap?

The secondary battery budget is always increasing to some extent, and it seems certain that the secondary battery industry is growing.

As the areas in which domestic companies are investing are also increasing, and GE is improving to that extent in the global market, expectations are also high.

Recently, secondary batteries have been taking the lead as a strategic cutting-edge industry, and I believe that corporate activities can play a sufficient role in revitalizing the local economy.

It seems that it could have a positive impact on the local community, including the supply of raw materials, production facilities, and labor force.

■ This is an industry that is quite sensitive to changes in supply chains, regulations, etc. What strategies should organizations and companies adopt?

In the case of secondary batteries, 60-70% of the materials and parts depend on overseas imports, so it is still extremely difficult to completely domestically produce the materials.

There are also areas where issues such as pricing and development related to stability are always a concern.

It is important to build a global supply chain with various routes to minimize production disruptions or supply risks.

These areas should include domestic and international policy areas, as well as areas that can be self-sufficient in times of national isolation, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current government's regulations and policy changes need to change, and there needs to be more active exchange of information and more participation in policy suggestions.

ze:14px;"> ■ Please say a word to e4ds readers along with the goals of the Secondary Battery Technology Center or the Center Director.

Our center's goal is to play a role in helping local industries, even if only by 1%, and to play a role in helping small and medium-sized businesses grow.

I will try my best to work hard. I hope we can grow together.

thank you