SK IE Technology (SKIET), which manufactures separators for secondary cells, announced on Nov. 4 that it is set to hold a series of non-deal roadshows (NDRs) for South Korea and overseas investors such as NPS (National Pension Service) and BlackRock.
The company plans to highlight its mid to long-term business strategies, including its plan for a timely expansion into the North American market, given its global significance as a core market.
On November 4, SKIET announced that the company will be visiting Hong Kong and Singapore from the 8 to 12 and hold NDRs for global institutional investors, asset management companies, securities firms, and fund managers.
The material business company is set to meet with the investment managers of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management company, officials from APG, one of the largest European pension funds, and more to introduce the company’s business roadmap and request an expansion in the investment.
Meanwhile, SKIET continues to communicate actively with domestic investors as well. The materials company held a conference call for analysts from securities firms on November 2 and is hosting an NDR until the 4th for NPS, the largest institutional investor in the country, and other investors, such as asset management companies.
SKIET shared that CEO Roh Jae-sok has been attending all the roadshow sessions in and out of Korea to explain the business strategies himself, displaying his steadfast will to improve corporate values.
It is a part of the company’s efforts to secure the investors’ support as the company faces a deceleration in performance recovery due to the current slump in the demand of downstream industries.
The company aims to minimize investors’ concerns regarding performance and secure cooperative investors who seek long-term investment items in spite of the uncertainty in the global business environment as well.
In the conference call held on the 2nd, CEO Roh Jae-sok introduced the company’s mid to long-term plans, such as improved automation, enhancement of productivity, and expansion toward the North American market to take the lead amidst the growing demands. He is set to appeal the strategies to overseas investors as well.
CEO Roh said, “As for the global demands for the wet-type LiBS, we expect the North American and European markets to record over 30% of annual growth on average.” He added, “We deem it essential to invest in North America, given its market potential and the increase in demand by core clients.”
Currently, SKIET is thoroughly reviewing various options for investment in the North American market in line with the company’s plan for the securement of orders and procurement. The company plans to share its decisions in detail with the market as soon as they are confirmed.
CEO Roh added, “The operation rate at Plant No.1 in Poland is improving. The company will adaptively adjust the schedule for the commencement of the expansion of Plants No. 2 to 4, considering the uncertainty in the global business situation.”
Taking account of the regional production encouragement policy and other policies of the United States and the European Union as a part of their emerging tendency to prioritize their domestically manufactured products, the company’s strategy is to take the lead in the market through localization at the right time.
CEO Roh also actively engages in promoting the company’s plans for productivity improvement to secure cost competitiveness. At the conference call the company held, he announced that the company has already secured a facilities technology that will double the production capacity and that the technology will be applied in the new production lines in North America for future expansion. Moreover, the company plans to shift to smart factories to secure consistent quality in global plants and save up to 60% of fixed costs per unit.
An official of SKIET said, “We are going to make an innovation of catching two birds by maintaining the excellent quality of our separators and enhancing the cost competitiveness through production cost management,” and added, “SKIET will continue to communicate actively with the market regarding its business strategies and market analysis.”
