SK On hires COO from memory chip affiliate

South Korean lithium-ion battery maker SK On said Thursday it has hired former SK hynix President Jin Kyo-won as chief operating officer.

Jin, who took the newly created role Thursday, will oversee the operation optimization, marketing, overseas manufacturing, research, purchase and next-generation technology of Korea’s second-largest battery manufacturer by global market share.

Previously, Jin, a career engineer, had served as the chief product and production officer of SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker. Jin had contributed to SK hynix’s chip development, mass manufacturing and quality control.

SK On will have the annual production capacity of 77 gigawatt-hours by the end of 2022, up fivefold from 2017. The capacity is expected to grow threefold in the next three years. SK On currently runs seven factories in countries including the United States, Hungary and China.(consnow@heraldcorp.com)