Breaking Away from Steel Dependency with High-Performance Aluminum Materials
Targeting Lightweight Aviation Platforms
Dongil Steel Lux, a company specializing in the manufacturing and distribution of special steel (CEO Jang Jaeheon), is expanding beyond its traditional steel-focused business structure to enter the high-value-added future aviation industry.
On December 23, Dongil Steel Lux announced that it has signed a business agreement with Angel Lux (CEO Kim Dohyun), a company specializing in Urban Air Mobility (UAM), to make a full-fledged entry into the future aviation industry market based on high-performance materials.
Through this agreement, Dongil Steel Lux plans to accelerate the acquisition of new growth engines by supplying high-performance aluminum materials and engaging in joint technology development.
Dongil Steel Lux has previously supplied customized special steel and high-performance materials mainly to the shipbuilding, plant, and automotive industries. This collaboration is a strategic decision aimed at improving its revenue structure and diversifying income sources, with the goal of transforming its business portfolio by entering the high-value-added aviation materials market.
A company representative stated, "If we can secure both profitability and market competitiveness by supplying high-performance aluminum materials, we will be able to move away from our existing business structure, which has suffered from sluggish sales. Through our collaboration with Angel Lux, we expect to establish an initial performance base and build a stable supply system."
Angel Lux, the agreement partner, is a leading company in the UAM and heavy-duty, long-endurance drone sectors. To address the core challenges of extending flight time and increasing payload capacity, Angel Lux is focusing on developing structural lightweighting technologies using high-performance aluminum materials. The company aims to build a smart urban air mobility drone ecosystem through these efforts.
Supported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Angel Lux is currently leading the development of heavy-duty firefighting drones for missions such as extinguishing residual fires at sites where night operations or helicopter deployment are difficult. A total of 11.5 billion won will be invested by 2027. As the UAM industry approaches commercialization, driven by technological advancements and policy support, it is now entering a phase where practical technological capabilities determine competitiveness.
With this business agreement, Dongil Steel Lux has begun supplying high-performance aluminum materials and engaging in joint technology development for next-generation lightweight UAMs. The company is currently conducting reliability verification tests for these materials as aviation structural materials using prototypes, aiming to achieve a maximum payload of 200 kg and a maximum takeoff weight of 600 kg.
Jang Jaeheon, CEO of Dongil Steel Lux, stated, "Entering the UAM industry is not just a new business, but a strategic turning point that will determine the company’s future competitiveness. By leveraging our long-accumulated material supply capabilities in the high-value-added market, we will solidify the foundation for improved profitability and sustainable growth."
Dongil Steellux Headquarters.
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