Umicore has entered into a strategic partnership with HS Hyosung Advanced Materials to drive the industrialization and commercialization of silicon-carbon composite anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. After more than ten years of research, the company's anode competence center in Olen (Belgium) is ready to move into production. The newly founded joint venture Extra Mile Materials (EMM) will further develop the technology and expand the existing plant into an industrial demonstration line by the end of 2026. Umicore holds a 20 percent stake in EMM; the existing anode team is transferring to EMM in full.
Scaling as a strategic building block
For Umicore, the joint venture is part of a long-term strategy for cooperation along the battery material value chain. The company emphasizes that the Belgian developments are protected by over 30 patent families and offer significant advantages for future electromobility requirements: higher energy density, longer ranges, faster charging cycles and lower CO₂ emissions and costs. The materials are already undergoing qualification processes at several international battery manufacturers.
Next steps and market potential
The transaction is expected to be completed in the coming months. With the industrialization, the joint venture is responding to the increasing demand for high-performance anode materials and at the same time strengthening the security of supply in a dynamically growing market segment of electromobility.