According to The Elec, SK On’s factory in the United States suffered a fire accident sometime in September last year. The source said the fire broke out on a production line at the Georgia plant where the molding process takes place during battery production.
The fire was quickly extinguished by crews at the scene, but some equipment was damaged, sources said. It will also take some time to remove the ash, which has caused problems for battery production, they added.
During the molding process, the already assembled batteries are charged and recharged so that they can be started.
The exact financial loss is not known, but considering the damage to equipment and the time the production line was out of operation, it is estimated to be in the order of several million dollars.
SK On is currently investigating the matter and believes that some defective batteries may have been shipped into the molding machine.
It could be that some of the battery cells made for testing were supposed to be removed but stayed on the production line, the sources said.
The facility in Georgia is SK On’s first facility in the United States. Ensuring it runs smoothly is important as the South Korean battery maker plans to build more factories there.
One of SK On’s factories is already operational, and the company is currently building another there.
Output from those plants will determine whether Ford, which has BlueOval SK, a joint venture with SK On, will increase the number of batteries it uses in its electric vehicles from the South Korean battery maker.
