Belgium’s Umicore setting up its battery R&D center in S. Korea

Umicore N.V., an international player in materials technology, is building its battery research and development center in South Korea, and this was revealed this week. The company chose the region for its global R&D center to boost its position as a leader in battery technology.

The Brussels, Belgium-headquartered company has already completed the construction of its R&D facility for rechargeable battery materials and now slowly starting its operations. The center is located in Cheonan, which is around 90 km. away from the Seoul capital.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Umicore's new facility in Korea will serve as its Asian research and development center, and it will be the place where the company will work on key materials for the next generation of rechargeable battery models.

The country’s Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy mentioned that Umicore is investing $28.2 million or around ₩36 billion for its new R&D facility. It was said that this is also the company’s largest among its existing research labs around the world. It was estimated that the materials tech firm will be able to generate more than 100 new jobs until the year 2025.

Umicore’s lab is now Korea’s fourth foreign R&D, and this was established in line with the country’s efforts to attract more research firms to do business here. This will definitely contribute to the region in securing original technologies for major rechargeable battery materials and nurturing researchers as well.

“Umicore’s new R&D center in Korea builds on our leadership in technology and provides even faster and more efficient product research,” Umicore’s executive vice president, energy and surface technologies, Ralph Kiessling, said in a press release.

He added, “This will enable us to continue to develop cathode materials that exceed customer expectations in terms of quality, reliability, safety and innovation. Thanks to our teams’ in-depth battery chemistry knowledge, we can support the accelerating move towards cleaner mobility worldwide.”

Finally, the facility, which is already in operation, sits on a 30,000 square meter building complex. It features advanced equipment and is located close to Umicore’s existing R&D center and cathode materials production plants. Currently, the company employs over 160 engineers and scientists, and this number is expected to grow up to 300 by 2024.