PNT completes cathode material and battery cell factory in Gumi

PNT Co. held a completion ceremony Wednesday for its cathode active material and battery cell production factory at the fourth plant's battery building in Gumi High-Tech Valley (Industrial Complex 5) in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province.

About 100 people attended the event, including Yang Geum-hee, economic vice governor of North Gyeongsang Province, Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho, Gumi City Council Speaker Park Gyo-sang, and company officials.

PNT, headquartered in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, is a secondary battery manufacturing equipment company founded in 2003.

The company has grown in domestic and overseas markets by building competitiveness in roll-to-roll technology, a core process in secondary battery electrode manufacturing.

After signing an investment memorandum of understanding with North Gyeongsang Province and Gumi City in April 2024, PNT built the cathode active material and battery cell production factory on a roughly 20,000-pyeong (66,000-square-meter) industrial site in the first phase of Gumi High-Tech Valley. One pyeong equals 3.3 square meters.

The total investment reached 150 billion won ($97.6 million), 1.5 times the original plan, and the factory is expected to create about 200 new jobs — four times the initial target.

"The fourth plant, completed Thursday, is the only facility in South Korea capable of producing everything from cathode active materials to battery cells under one roof," PNT CEO Kim Jun-seop said. "This will serve as an opportunity to expand our business from a specialized electrode process equipment company into a total secondary battery solutions company and further strengthen our competitiveness."

Yang, the North Gyeongsang economic vice governor, said the province would do its utmost to provide swift administrative support and expand industrial infrastructure so companies can focus on research and development and production. "We will continue to work harder to attract advanced industry investment, revitalize the local economy and create quality jobs," she added.

Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho congratulated PNT on its bold investment and the successful completion of the factory. "This completion will mark an important turning point for Gumi as it leaps forward to become South Korea's leading hub city for secondary battery materials," he said.