Posco Future M Company, the battery materials subsidiary of South Korean steel and chemicals group Posco Holdings Inc, announced that it has signed a battery materials supply deal with a Japanese automaker.

In the last two years, Posco has made significant efforts to position itself as a key global supplier of automotive materials, including battery materials, helping global automakers reduce their dependence on Chinese supply chains. Stricter US import regulations under the Trump administration, which aim to cut the use of Chinese components and materials, have accelerated this process as automakers look for alternative suppliers.

Posco Future M confirmed that it has signed an agreement tosupply natural graphite-based anode materials to a Japanese automaker from its Sejong plant in South Korea, for use in EV batteries to be produced in Japan.  The name of the client and the value of the deal were not disclosed, due to a mutual confidentiality agreement signed by the two companies.

Posco Future M, South Korea’s only mass producer of battery anode materials, said that the deal with a major Japanese automaker strengthens its competitive position in global markets. The company said in a statement: "We have developed a wide range of natural and artificial graphite anode products tailored to customer needs and are also advancing the commercialization of silicon anodes. By expanding our differentiated product portfolio, enhancing manufacturing capabilities and strengthening our supply chain, we will continue to expand our global customer base.”