[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] Samsung SDI, which showed remarkable performance growth in the first quarter, is aiming to achieve an annual operating profit of 1 trillion KRW this year, supported by the automotive battery business turning profitable.
According to FnGuide on the 13th, the consensus for Samsung SDI's second-quarter performance this year is sales of 3.3612 trillion KRW and operating profit of 248.3 billion KRW. These figures represent increases of 31.3% and 139.2% respectively compared to the previous year. In the first quarter, sales were 2.9632 trillion KRW and operating profit was 133.1 billion KRW, up 23.6% and 146.7% respectively.
Samsung SDI mentioned in a previous conference call that the automotive battery business is expected to turn profitable on an annual basis this year, and securities firms anticipate a full-scale profitability turnaround in the electric vehicle battery business starting from the second quarter. In particular, profitability is expected to improve sharply as sales to European OEMs increase.
Jeon Chang-hyun, a researcher at IBK Investment & Securities, said, "The medium-to-large battery segment, centered on automotive batteries, is expected to turn profitable this year, marking the start of profitability improvement. The proportion of cylindrical batteries for electric vehicles, mainly for North American customers, will also expand to 20%, making it highly likely that the company will achieve an annual operating profit of 1 trillion KRW for the first time in history this year."
Especially from the second half of the year, the 5th generation (Gen.5) battery will enter full-scale mass production, and additional sales to Europe are expected to become visible. Samsung SDI's Gen.5 battery applies high-nickel technology with a nickel content of over 88%, enabling driving distances of more than 600 km on a single charge.
Meanwhile, Samsung SDI prioritizes battery safety by conducting ten extreme safety evaluations to prevent fire risks in electric vehicle batteries. If strong external impacts, overheating, or overcharging occur, the anode and cathode inside the battery may come into contact, causing a short circuit and increasing the risk of fire.
Samsung SDI conducts safety tests including compression, penetration, drop, vibration, overcharge, short circuit, high temperature, and thermal shock. Additionally, inertia and rollover tests simulating physical impacts during car accidents are performed. These tests verify safety when internal battery components shift to one side or the battery flips over during sudden braking or rollover situations.
A Samsung SDI official stated, "We have a safety evaluation facility for battery durability testing at our Ulsan plant, where we test the performance of medium-to-large batteries under extreme conditions. Based on our management philosophy of safety first, we will produce the highest quality products and lead the market."
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