Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI) is newly launching as a specialized company for small and medium-sized hydrogen fuel cells.
On the 20th, DMI announced that it has decided to acquire the business of Doosan Fuel Cell Power BU (FCP).
FCP and DMI have been operating hydrogen fuel cell businesses based on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). PEMFC offers advantages such as ▲ rapid startup (within 20 minutes) ▲ high energy conversion efficiency ▲ durability of materials and operational stability due to low-temperature operation, making it suitable for building applications, drones, construction machinery, and other mobility uses.
FCP, which was responsible for Doosan's building-use hydrogen fuel cell business, is the number one market share holder in Korea. Since its establishment in 2003, it has secured comprehensive technologies from the design and manufacturing of core hydrogen fuel cell technologies such as cell stacks and reformers to system integration and in-house production. Last year, it completed the development and supply of a high-efficiency pure hydrogen model ‘H2-PEMFC’ system and a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system.
The existing DMI was the first in the world to commercialize industrial drones powered by hydrogen fuel cells. It also internalized PEMFC lightweight and hybrid control technologies. The hydrogen drones, capable of flying for more than two hours, can perform missions such as infrastructure inspection, surveying, search and rescue, and exploration. By integrating digital technology, they provide real-time control services and have built a nationwide hydrogen supply network, offering various customer-oriented services.
Through this business acquisition, the newly launched DMI will secure core polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technologies while expecting synergies through ▲ operational efficiency improvements to strengthen financial soundness ▲ enhancement of core fuel cell technology capabilities and R&D personnel pool ▲ diversification of business portfolio. In particular, DMI, which will possess competitiveness in both building-use hydrogen fuel cells and small aerial mobility sectors, will be able to expand its business into medium-sized mobility fields covering land, sea, and air, such as construction machinery, mobile hydrogen refueling equipment, and small to medium-sized ships.
DMI plans to conduct a paid-in capital increase of 134 billion KRW to raise funds for this business acquisition and operational capital, with the transaction expected to be completed by the end of February next year.
Kim Jong-sun, CEO of DMI, stated, "We expect the sharing of expertise and experience in each field to shorten the development period for new R&D, and the operational efficiency of the organization will improve, enabling faster decision-making." He added, "Going forward, we will grow into a 'total hydrogen fuel cell solution provider' based on PEMFC and SOFC technologies."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
