[Company Visit] From PCB to Composite Copper Foil... Taeseong Confident in Growth This Year

Complex Double-Sided Laminate Uses Less Raw Material and Is Lightweight
"Discussing Equipment Delivery with Chinese and Japanese Companies"
April Order Backlog Up 38% Year-on-Year

"Using products made through our composite copper foil plating equipment not only reduces costs but also extends battery life. There is no reason not to use it."

The appearance of composite copper foil finished products coming out through Taesung's composite copper foil electroplating equipment. Photo by Yoo Hyun-seok

On the 27th, at the plating test factory in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, Kim Jong-hak, CEO of Taesung, who was met at the demonstration of the composite copper foil plating equipment developed by Taesung, expressed this confidence.

Taesung's composite copper foil plating equipment boasts a massive size of 1.8m in height, 4.6m in width, and 27m in length. When arriving at the demonstration site, the equipment was already operating. As a transparent film entered the equipment, various plating processes took place, including coating with copper sulfate solution. After the final drying process, a golden thin vinyl film began to continuously emerge. It was composite copper foil.

The composite copper foil produced that day by Taesung was a film with a thickness of 4.5 micrometers (㎛) plated with 1㎛ of copper on both the top and bottom. The produced product has a thickness of 6.5㎛ and a width of 1.1m. The composite copper foil produced through Taesung's composite copper foil plating equipment looked no different from ordinary copper foil on the outside.

However, Taesung explains that it has more advantages compared to conventional copper foil. One point is that it uses less raw material. Additionally, unlike ordinary copper foil, it does not tear easily. Especially, it is lighter in weight, which can improve driving range when used in electric vehicle batteries. Kim Kyu-moon, Head of Taesung's New Business Division, explained, "Since composite copper foil plates copper onto the film, it can reduce raw materials by more than 50%. Moreover, it can withstand tension well, resulting in a low defect rate."

The appearance of Taesung's composite twin-roll plating equipment. Photo by Yoo Hyun-seok

Taesung began developing composite copper foil plating equipment in 2022 at the request of a Chinese battery company. Its original main business is manufacturing printed circuit board (PCB) equipment. The company entered the secondary battery field because it judged that the market has sufficient growth potential and marketability. Past experience in making similar products also helped. Currently, product sample testing is underway.

Since sample testing is ongoing, it is expected that sales can start in earnest this year. CEO Kim Jong-hak said, "We are currently negotiating supply with Chinese companies," adding, "We have also started meetings with Japanese companies." He showed confidence that they could lead in competition with other companies. Kim said, "Products made by other companies often have defects such as holes, resulting in a high defect rate."

From the left, Executive Vice President Namyoung Lee, CEO Jonghak Kim, Head of New Business Division Gyumun Kim. Photo by Hyunseok Yoo

Taesung also showed confidence in improving its performance this year. While PCB-related sales are expected to be at the 2022 level, additional sales from composite copper foil plating equipment are also expected to be reflected in the results. As of April this year, Taesung's order backlog is about 22.3 billion KRW, an increase of 6 billion KRW compared to the first quarter of last year.

Vice President Lee Nam-young said, "We expect the composite copper foil plating equipment to generate up to 200 billion KRW in annual sales," adding, "Since the operating profit margin is also high, it will contribute to our performance." He continued, "Since sales in the PCB sector are also increasing, performance improvement this year is possible."

Taesung plans to continue growing in the future. Although it is expected to take time to be reflected in performance, it is developing glass substrate equipment. CEO Kim explained, "Since the price of glass substrate equipment is higher than before, we expect higher profits," adding, "In the mid-to-long term, we are also considering not only selling equipment but directly selling composite copper foil."