DS Dansuk seeks W100b IPO to spur growth

DS Dansuk, South Korea’s resource recycling company, on Friday threw its hat into the ring as the last candidate for a market debut this year, with bold plans for businesses ranging from biodiesel to battery and plastic waste recycling.

“After the initial public offering, we will set up additional production facilities and invest more in research and development to create a strong foothold as a global brand leading the circular economy," said DS Dansuk co-CEO Kim Jong-wan during a press conference in Seoul.

Founded in 1965, the company started as a fine chemical business and later expanded to polyvinyl chloride or PVC industry. In 2007, it made a foray into the biodiesel and battery recycling markets.

Its key businesses include hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a type of renewable biodiesel and battery and plastic recycling. Last year, the company posted 1.09 trillion won ($832 million) in sales and 73.4 billion won in operating profits.

The company was the first Korean exporter of waste-based biodiesel to the US and European countries. Currently, it takes up 70 percent of the nation's total biodiesel and biofuel exports, shipping 2,000 to 3,000 metric tons per month.

To gain a more competitive edge in the burgeoning renewable fuel market, the company will complete a new plant for the pre-treatment processing of HVO by next year in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. By 2028, it aims to build a new HVO production plant in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, and start commercial operation with 300,000 tons of annual capacity.

Compared to first-generation biodiesel, HVO is more resistant to cold temperatures and can be used to fuel ships and aircraft as well as cars, according to the CEO.

As for its battery recycling business, the company started the construction of a lithium-ion battery recycling plant capable of shredding 8,000 tons of batteries and producing 5,000 tons of black mass annually. From next year, it plans to build global recycling bases in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

DS Dansuk also looks to secure technologies to produce precursor and cathode materials from 2025.

The company’s business strategy for PCR plastic recycling is to venture into global markets including Europe, where it was certified with the EU’s ISCC Plus for plastics, chemicals, food and feed as well as biofuels produced outside the EU and the UK. It is developing a technology that can sort out plastic with 99 percent purity.

DS Dansuk aims to float 1.22 million shares on the nation’s main bourse Kospi this month, priced between 79,000 and 89,000 won apiece. It projects to raise between 463.1 billion-521.7 billion won. KB Securities and NH Investment and Securities are the lead underwriters.