LS Group Builds Win-Win Ecosystem with Partners... Expanding to Smart Factories and Secondary Batteries

LS Group is focusing its efforts on building a mutually beneficial ecosystem in collaboration with its partners.

On October 22, LS held the "LS Partner CEO Forum" at LS Miraiwon, the group's training center, providing an opportunity for mutual exchange with its partners and solidifying the foundation for shared growth. The CEO Forum has been held annually since 2022. The 2025 forum was attended by Myung Nohyun, Vice Chairman of LS Corporation, over 30 Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) from major affiliates, and around 80 representatives from LS Group partner companies, including Hanmi Electric Wire, Hyein Electric, Taekyung BK, and Hygen R&M.

At the event, LS provided the CEOs of partner companies with special lectures on the latest laws and regulations, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and on health management. CPOs from LS Cable & System, LS Electric, and LS MnM, along with partner company representatives, shared their plans for joint growth and reaffirmed their commitment to mutual cooperation.

In his welcome speech, Vice Chairman Myung stated, "The steady growth of LS Group over the past five years is the result of creating an ecosystem where we grow together as true partners with our partner companies," adding, "As uncertainties in the business environment intensify due to global competition for dominance, we must further strengthen our strategic partnerships and open the path to shared growth together."

Myung Nohyun, Vice Chairman of LS Corporation, is delivering a welcome speech at the "2025 LS Partner CEO Forum" held at LS Miraiwon last October. LS

Major LS affiliates are working with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies on product development, sales cooperation, joint ventures, and employment support. The group continues to promote the "Coexistence-Type Smart Factory Support Project" and actively carries out technology sharing initiatives.

LS Cable & System is conducting joint safety inspections and improvement activities with its partners, aiming to reduce accident rates for both sides. The company also identifies and addresses unsafe or non-compliant factors. In addition, LS Cable & System has launched the i-Check diagnostic and monitoring system, developed together with small partner companies, and is actively expanding this business.

The i-Check system installs Internet of Things (IoT) sensors on power cables and electrical equipment to detect abnormal conditions such as overheating and partial discharge in real time, preventing accidents such as power outages and fires caused by power system failures.

Since 2022, LS Electric has signed an agreement with the Korea Foundation for Cooperation between Large & Small Business, Rural Affairs to contribute to a mutual growth fund, donating about 10 billion won annually to expand the construction of smart factories and improve the manufacturing competitiveness of SMEs.

The company also operates the ACE Club system to support the cultivation of core talent at partner companies, the establishment of information system infrastructure, and the enhancement of quality, productivity, and development capabilities. Each year, LS Electric comprehensively evaluates partner companies on quality, delivery, cost competitiveness, shared growth, and partnership, selects ACE Club member companies, and provides them with differentiated payment terms, productivity improvement activities, domestic and international benchmarking, and innovation exchange activities.

LS MnM, a non-ferrous metal materials company, has been supplying heat (steam) generated during the production of copper and sulfuric acid via pipeline to nearby companies in the Onsan Industrial Complex since 2009. By replacing fossil fuels previously used for raw material drying and facility insulation with steam, partner companies reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, while LS MnM gains additional revenue. This model is recognized as a win-win solution that benefits both customers and suppliers, as well as the local area, by contributing to environmental protection.

LS MnM is also establishing a new foundation for mutual growth by promoting its battery materials business. The company plans to invest 1.8 trillion won by 2029 to build large-scale battery material production facilities in Ulsan and Saemangeum, creating new jobs and contributing to the development of the local economy. By utilizing recycled materials, LS MnM is establishing a resource circulation system and pursuing environmentally friendly production. The company also expects to reduce the outflow of national wealth by localizing battery materials, which are currently highly dependent on China.

LS Mtron, in partnership with the Korea Industrial Human Resources Corporation's National HRD Consortium, operates a biennial agricultural machinery specialist training program with full tuition support. The program, held at the Technical Education Academy in Wanju County, North Jeolla Province, provides 50 days of training on the latest smart agricultural machinery technology, engine and transmission maintenance, engine diagnostic tool usage, and practical agricultural machinery troubleshooting. Graduates are offered employment opportunities with 140 partner companies of LS Mtron. Through this program, LS Mtron aims to cultivate experts capable of handling all aspects of agricultural machinery technology and to help resolve labor shortages at regional partner companies, creating a virtuous cycle ecosystem.

E1, an eco-friendly energy company, has maintained a future-oriented labor-management relationship based on mutual growth and harmony by reaching wage agreements without negotiations for 30 consecutive years since 1996.

To improve the service quality of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and hydrogen electric vehicle charging stations, E1 operates a service training team that provides consulting and on-site training. The company was the first in the industry to introduce real-time online training for charging station managers, aiming to enhance customer service quality.

Yesco operates Asia's first biogas plant that refines biogas from the Jungnang Water Reclamation Center in Seoul into city gas and supplies it to households. This initiative reduces city gas costs, recycles Seoul's waste biogas, and achieves shared growth with the city. Yesco also secures about 8,000 tons of carbon credits annually, contributing to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management and carbon neutrality.

To promote mutual growth management and regional community development, Yesco has implemented a gas fee late payment exemption and installment payment system for local small business owners struggling with the economic downturn since the COVID-19 pandemic.