POSCO Jang Inhwa, Managing Secondary Battery Materials On-site... Directly Ensuring Competitiveness

March Inauguration Followed by On-Site Management Approach
Visits to Major Group Company Business Sites
Seeking Solutions to Strengthen Business Competitiveness and Enhance Communication with Employees

POSCO Group Chairman Jang In-hwa inspected the POSCO Future M Energy Materials Research Center and the natural graphite anode material factory located in Sejong on the 21st and held a meeting with employees. Photo by POSCO Group

Jang In-hwa, Chairman of POSCO Group, is continuing his communication with employees through on-site visits during the '100 Days On-Site Accompaniment' initiative, inspecting business units to strengthen the competitiveness of the group’s core growth engine, the secondary battery materials business.

On the 21st, Chairman Jang visited the POSCO Future M Energy Materials Research Institute and the natural graphite anode material factory in Sejong City to review the current status of secondary battery materials technology development, production, sales, and other management issues, and held a meeting with employees.

On that day, Chairman Jang addressed the recent economic downturn caused by the global electric vehicle demand slump and the direction of the group’s secondary battery materials business, stating, "Electric vehicles are the inevitable direction in the global eco-friendly car market, and there will be no reduction in investment at the group level." He added, "Especially in the secondary battery materials sector, we must strive to acquire the capabilities to secure global competitiveness."

During the meeting with employees, when asked about the future growth potential of related business units amid the slowdown in the global secondary battery market growth, he said, "The market will gradually improve, and if we strive to secure breakthrough technology, the future value will increase." He emphasized, "Developing next-generation materials and securing price and quality competitive advantages are key to responding swiftly to market changes. Completing the full value chain of secondary battery materials from raw materials to materials will be POSCO Group’s differentiated competitiveness in the global market."

In addition, Chairman Jang engaged in candid conversations with employees covering professional topics such as secondary battery materials technology development and collaboration with global customers, as well as personal matters including company life and childcare.

An employee of POSCO Future M who attended the meeting said, "It was an occasion where we could gain confidence and pride as Chairman Jang clearly explained the direction of the group’s secondary battery materials business, including the secondary battery materials value chain, based on his professional insight and wisdom."

Since his inauguration as POSCO Group Chairman on March 21, Chairman Jang has meticulously toured business sites starting with POSCO Pohang Steelworks and Gwangyang Steelworks, followed by POSCO Future M’s anode and cathode material and refractory factories, Pohang Institute of Industrial Science & Technology, POSCO Technical Research Institute, POSCO Philbar Lithium Solution, POSCO HY Clean Metal, POSCO Lithium Solution, POSCO Mobility Solution, and maintenance business units, covering steel, secondary battery materials, and raw material business units.

In particular, Chairman Jang has focused on visiting the group’s secondary battery materials business sites to check the current operational status and production/quality-related problem-solving measures, as well as future collaboration and sales plans with partners, reviewing management status by product and business unit. Starting with POSCO Future M’s Gwangyang cathode material factory on March 27, he visited POSCO Future M’s Pohang artificial graphite anode material factory, POSCO Philbar Lithium Solution in Gwangyang, POSCO HY Clean Metal, POSCO Lithium Solution in April, and the POSCO Future M Energy Materials Research Institute and natural graphite anode material factory in Sejong in May.

Through the ‘100 Days On-Site Accompaniment,’ Chairman Jang is spreading a corporate culture of trust and creativity by listening to diverse opinions from group employees, ranging from improving operational environments to workplace safety and support for childbirth and childcare. For example, at a lunch meeting with low-tenure employees at Gwangyang Steelworks on March 26, he immediately approved a relaxation of the dress code allowing shorts. Regarding childcare support and employee housing complexes, the company is reviewing reasonable measures, and for issues that cannot be answered immediately, Chairman Jang has openly asked for understanding.

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