EcoPro BM Posts 20.9 Billion Won Q1 Operating Profit... "Hungary Plant to Begin Mass Production in Q2"

"Stricter European Supply Chain Regulations Present New Opportunities"

On the 11th, visitors are touring the Ecopro booth at InterBattery 2026, a specialized battery industry exhibition held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. 2026.3.11 Photo by Yonhap News.

EcoPro BM announced on April 29 that its consolidated sales for the first quarter of this year reached 605.4 billion won and operating profit amounted to 20.9 billion won. While sales slightly decreased from 629.8 billion won in the same period last year, operating profit saw a significant increase compared to 2.3 billion won in the first quarter of last year, indicating improved profitability.

EcoPro BM explained, "The company maintained profitability in the first quarter and continued to show solid performance, thanks to a recovery in shipments for European electric vehicles (EVs) and increased confidence in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure."

In the first quarter, EcoPro BM's sales of cathode materials for energy storage systems (ESS), which are used to ensure stable power supply for data centers, increased by 140% compared to the same period last year. In addition, with the expansion of AI-related semiconductor manufacturing facilities and the growing number of large-scale data center construction sites, shipments for power applications such as power tools and electric bicycles also rose by 44% year-on-year.

EcoPro BM expects that new European demand, including increased sales of new EV models by European original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), will have a positive impact on this year's performance, especially with its Hungary plant set to begin mass production in the second quarter.

To proactively respond to environmental regulations and local supply chain policies in Europe, EcoPro BM completed a cathode material plant with an annual capacity of 54,000 tons in Debrecen, Hungary, in November last year.

Strengthened supply chain requirements such as the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), and the Industrial Acceleration Act (IAA)—which mandate the use of EU-produced cathode materials from 2027 onward—are expected to present new opportunities for EcoPro BM, which has established a local production system in Europe.

The Hungary plant is scheduled to begin full-scale mass production in the first half of this year. Through mass production at the Hungary facility, EcoPro BM aims to strengthen its leadership in the European supply chain, accelerate the supply of samples for new projects, and step up efforts to secure new customers in the European market.

Jangwoo Kim, CEO of EcoPro BM, stated, "We will continue to expand the supply of high value-added cathode materials in line with the spread of AI and the recovery in the electric vehicle market," adding, "By successfully mass-producing at the Hungary plant, we will establish ourselves as a key player in the European supply chain and maintain unwavering growth momentum."

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