Chief Executive Officer Heo Je-hong of L&F emphasized in this year's New Year's address that the company will strengthen its growth engines starting with the mass production of lithium iron phosphate (LFP).
According to L&F on the 6th, Heo said at a kickoff ceremony held the previous day at the Daegu headquarters, "Over the past 25 years, we have grown into a corporation leading the secondary battery materials industry through relentless challenges and change," and "We faced an unprecedented, harsh chasm but ultimately broke through it, and now we must achieve outstanding growth on that foundation."
L&F presented three core strategies for 2026 to achieve sustainable growth: ▲ successful realization of LFP mass production based on exceptional innovation ▲ strengthening production process efficiency and cost competitiveness ▲ reinforcing the supply chain from a mid- to long-term perspective and innovating the future business model.
Heo said, "Customers and the global supply chain expect our innovative technology and a significant role," and "A groundbreaking shift in organizational structure and management methods is needed to meet the demands of a new era."
L&F will leverage the technology accumulated in the nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) cathode materials field to embark on Korea's first LFP mass production, and plans to secure fundamental cost competitiveness by introducing new technologies and new processes. In addition, the company will strengthen mid- to long-term supply chain competitiveness through value chain expansion, including precursors and recycling, and reinforce future growth drivers by developing next-generation cathode materials and expanding industry-academia-research cooperation.
Last year, L&F ramped up a "two-track strategy" that spans Mid-Ni to High-Ni NCM as well as LFP cathode materials, strengthening its responsiveness to the market. The company also pursued new facility investments aimed at the mass production of LFP cathode materials. L&F plans to begin LFP mass production in the second half of 2026 at an annual scale of 30,000 tons and to carry out phased capacity expansions according to market demand.
Heo cited the example of Roald Amundsen, the explorer who first reached the South Pole, saying, "With clear goals, proven processes, and the collaboration of top experts in each field, we will overcome extreme challenges," and, "Armed with the discernment and experience gained from enduring the chasm, we will move forward vigorously in the year of the red horse."