EcoPro returned to the black last year, helped by successful investment in Indonesia and rising metal prices.
EcoPro said on the 5th that it posted 3.4315 trillion won in sales and 233.2 billion won in operating profit last year on a consolidation basis. Sales rose 9.7% from the previous year (3.1279 trillion won), and operating profit swung to a profit. Fourth-quarter sales were 733.6 billion won and operating profit was 66.2 billion won, also swinging to a profit from a year earlier.
The biggest factor behind EcoPro's improved results was its investment in Indonesia. Since 2022, EcoPro has invested about 700 billion won in four smelters in the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) in Indonesia. EcoPro earned about 250 billion won in investment gains last year from the smelter investments, and sales of nickel MHP (intermediate product) secured from the smelters also boosted performance.
Improvements in external business conditions, including higher metal prices and exchange rates, also drove sales and profit growth. As European electric vehicle sales have been recovering since the second half of last year, sales of cathode materials, precursors, and lithium by EcoPro group affiliates are also improving.
By affiliate, EcoPro Materials, which manufactures precursors, the raw material for cathode materials, recorded 392.5 billion won in standalone sales and an operating loss of 65.4 billion won in 2025. Sales rose 31% from the previous year (299.8 billion won) on increased sales of precursors and metals.
EcoPro HN, which operates an eco-friendly materials business, posted 141.1 billion won in sales on a consolidation basis and 117 won in operating profit in 2025. Sales fell 40% from the previous year (234.5 billion won), and operating profit decreased 52% from the previous year (24.2 billion won).
EcoPro predicted it can post an annual profit again this year. Citing metal price fluctuations, EcoPro raised its estimated annual investment and trading gains from the Indonesia IMIP smelter investments by about 20% to 220 billion won from an annual average of 180 billion won. With cost competitiveness secured through the smelter investments, profit margins are also expected to rise in step with higher product selling prices.
EcoPro also plans to actively respond to new application demand such as robot batteries and the growth of the energy storage system (ESS) market driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. In addition, EcoPro decided to strengthen profit-and-loss management by business site to overcome sluggish electric vehicle sales. Following an organizational reshuffle to enhance synergies in tasks performed by affiliates such as quality and logistics, the company is preparing a strategy to introduce AI across all areas, including manufacturing research and development (R&D).
Song Ho-jun, CEO of EcoPro, said, "Alongside intensive management efficiency measures to overcome the management crisis, we worked to secure future growth engines, including investment in smelting operations in Indonesia," adding, "This year, we plan to establish a stable profit trend by introducing AI across all business sites and strengthening our responsiveness to new applications such as robots."