Oceanbridge Acquires Secondary Battery Equipment Manufacturer

Diversification from Semiconductor Materials and Equipment Business to Secondary Battery Equipment Business

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] Ocean Bridge, a specialized company in semiconductor process chemicals, specialty gases, and equipment, announced on the 16th that it will acquire YHT to expand its secondary battery equipment business.

Ocean Bridge will acquire 81.5% of YHT's shares for 13.5 billion KRW. It plans to purchase existing shares from the largest shareholder and related parties, as well as convertible redeemable preferred shares from financial investors (FI) who invested in YHT. The payment completion date is set for the 20th.

Founded in 2016, YHT manufactures and supplies integrated folding and inspection equipment used in the chemical process of secondary batteries. YHT achieved sales of 25.7 billion KRW and an operating profit of 2.1 billion KRW last year. Due to the continuous growth of the secondary battery market, it is expected to maintain its growth trajectory.

Upon completing the acquisition, Ocean Bridge will expand its secondary battery equipment division by broadening its product range from electrolyte supply devices to key process equipment in the secondary battery sector.

An Ocean Bridge representative stated, "Since officially entering the secondary battery equipment business last year, we have signed consecutive contracts with secondary battery companies," adding, "By acquiring YHT, we will strengthen our competitiveness in the domestic and international secondary battery equipment markets." They further added, "We will strive to establish a stable sales base to maintain valuable growth."

In the first quarter of this year, Ocean Bridge recorded consolidated sales of 14.6 billion KRW and an operating profit of 1.4 billion KRW. As of the end of March, the order backlog exceeded 100 billion KRW. The materials business achieved its highest quarterly sales ever in the first quarter. However, the equipment business experienced some decline compared to the previous year due to issues such as parts shortages, causing sales to be deferred. Considering the current order backlog, the company expects to achieve consolidated sales exceeding 130 billion KRW for the first time this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.