POSCO Future M Secures 1 Trillion Won Artificial Graphite Anode Order, Largest Ever

New Artificial Graphite Anode Plant in Vietnam to Meet Order Demand
"Achievement Driven by Supply Chain Premium and Technological Competitiveness"

POSCO Future M announced on March 16 that it has signed a long-term artificial graphite anode material supply contract worth over 1 trillion won with a global automaker.

The contract is valued at approximately 1.0149 trillion won, with a duration of five years from 2027 to 2032. The agreement also includes a provision for possible extension through mutual consultation. In order to maintain business confidentiality, the customer’s identity will not be disclosed until the end of the contract period.

Production line view of artificial graphite anode material factory in Pohang by POSCO Future M. POSCO Future M

This is the largest supply contract POSCO Future M has secured since entering the anode material business in 2011.

POSCO Future M supplies anode materials to domestic battery manufacturers and GM, and last July signed a natural graphite anode supply contract with a Japanese battery company, followed by a contract with a global automaker in October.

This new contract is part of a package with the natural graphite anode contract signed in October last year, and POSCO Future M plans to expand cooperation in cathode materials and lithium business areas in the future.

To respond to this order, POSCO Future M has also begun expanding its anode material production capacity. On March 5, the company decided to invest approximately 357 billion won to build a new artificial graphite anode material plant in Vietnam.

Through this supply contract, POSCO Future M has secured a customer for the first-phase investment volume, and plans to proceed with a second-phase investment for additional orders in the future.

POSCO Future M expects that its investment in Vietnam will enhance its cost and quality competitiveness and help continue to win global orders.

As the only graphite-based anode material company in Korea, POSCO Future M began localizing natural graphite anode materials in 2011 and established a mass production system by completing the Pohang artificial graphite anode material plant in 2021.

The company has also been working to internalize its raw material supply chain, from raw materials to intermediate materials and product manufacturing. For artificial graphite anode materials, coal- and petroleum-based cokes produced from POSCO’s steelmaking process tar are used as raw materials. For natural graphite anode materials, the company plans to import graphite ore from Africa and process it into intermediate materials at a spherical graphite plant currently under development in Saemangeum.

POSCO Future M produces both natural and artificial graphite anode materials in line with customer demands, and is also pushing for the commercialization of silicon anode materials used in all-solid-state batteries and other applications.

Based on these supply chain solutions and technological capabilities, POSCO Future M plans to expand its cooperation with global customers in North America, Europe, and other regions for both cathode and anode material supplies, aiming to become a leading global battery materials company.

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