SK IE Technology Company (SKIET), an electric vehicle (EV) battery materials manufacturer belonging to South Korea’s SK Group, announced that it has signed a preliminary agreement to supply materials to Gotion High Tech Company, a Chinese manufacturer of EV batteries. SKIET comes under South Korea’s SK Innovation, which also controls local battery manufacturer SK On Company.
The deal, signed earlier this week at the Intersolar North America Conference in San Diego, in the US state of California, provides for SKIET to supply separator materials for Gotion’s EV battery and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) plants located in the US and Europe.
Under the memorandum of understanding, SKIET and Gotion have agreed to work closely to strengthen separator supply in North America and Europe, after SKIET recently completed the verification process at Gotion’s production facilities. Once the deal is finalized, SKIET will deliver ESS and EV battery separators to the manufacturing plants Gotion is currently building in Illinois, USA, and Slovakia, Europe.
SKIET’s CEO, Lee Sang-min, said in a statement: “This partnership with Gotion represents a significant step forward for both companies as we look to create synergies in the global EV and ESS markets. By leveraging our advanced products—which are designed to meet the needs of all battery form factors—and our robust global supply chain, SKIET will continue to elevate its corporate value and reinforce its position as a key player in the global market.”
Gotion Inc’s president, Li Chen, added: “In the face of an increasingly uncertain and challenging market environment, we aim to navigate these difficulties in partnership with SKIET. We will continue to strive for the establishment of a long-term and strategic global cooperation relationship between our two companies.”
Separately, SKIET confirmed it recently signed a KRW291bn (US$199m) long-term contract to supply separators to a global manufacturer of prismatic lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. The company also claimed it is actively negotiating additional mid- to long-term contracts with other global customers.
