SK Innovation, vulnerable to Europe virus crisis, charters flight to Hungary

SK Innovation has decided to dispatch employees to its electric vehicle battery plant in Hungary, where it has less workforce presence than other Korean EV battery manufacturers.

According to SK Innovation, the company will dispatch 300 staff members on a chartered flight to Hungary on April 5 to support the construction of its second EV battery plant in Komarom, as global travel restrictions have limited the deployment of necessary personnel to the construction site.

“Though SK Innovation initially planned to send its employees to Hungary, the plan was hindered due to global travel restrictions. However, thanks to cooperation from the Hungarian government, the company will be sending the necessary personnel by a chartered flight,” a SK Innovation official said.

SK added that there are currently around 10 resident staff members and a few hundred local workers.

LG Chem and Samsung SDI, meanwhile, have been relatively immune from the crisis.

“LG Chem will not send a chartered flight to Europe. There are already about 4,000 resident and local staff working at its EV battery plant in Poland thanks to a well-established localization,” an LG Chem official said.

Samsung SDI also said it does not plan to send a chartered flight to Europe.

“When you have a test, you study for it every day. Cramming for a night won’t cut it,” a Samsung SDI official said.

Though Samsung SDI declined to comment on exact figures in Hungary, it has around 20,000 staff in Europe, according to its sustainability report 2018.

LG Chem recently borrowed $527 million from the European Investment Bank to expand its production capacity of its EV battery plant in Poland while Samsung SDI is expanding its EV battery manufacturing plant in Hungary.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)