Samsung SDI announced on July 30th that it recorded 2.011 billion dollars in sales and 136.7 million dollars in operating profit in the second quarter of this year. Compared to the same period last year, operating profit rose 2696.52% and sales increase 53.07%.
By business category, sales of the battery business increased from 277.5 million dollars (21.9%) from the previous quarter to 1.545 billion dollars. In particular, sales of ESS business increased greatly due to positive performance of ESS (Energy Storage System) markets in South Korea and other countries and automotive batteries have expanded their sales towards PHEV (Plug-in hybrid). In small batteries, prototype batteries expanded the non-IT market, centering on high-output, high-value products for power tools.
The materials business posted sales of 464.1 million dollars, an increase of 25.8 million dollars (5.9%) from the previous quarter. Sales growth has been driven by demand for semiconductors from downstream industries and diversification of display materials.
Samsung SDI is expected to continue improving earnings in each business sector in the second half of 2018.
First, the battery business is expected to expand demand for ESS for power and commercial use in mid to large sized batteries, and to drive sales of EV-driven automotive batteries. Demand for power tools, garden tools and electric bicycles is expected to continue to grow in small-sized batteries, and flagship smartphones from major customers are expected to be launched soon.
The electronic materials division is also expected to benefit from the expansion of display markets centered on semiconductor markets, large LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) displays, and mobile OLED displays. Demand for semiconductor materials is expected to grow due to customer expansion and miniaturization. Furthermore, it is expected that OLED materials to enter new platforms, polarizer films, and mobile product supply
