Embracing electronic DNA and expanding to semiconductors and robots
Promoting the acquisition of wafer semiconductor companies
Delivery of copper cladding to Nvidia
Post-semiconductor processing industry performance ‘Sug’
Intelligent robot development capabilities concentrated

[Photo source = Yonhap News] 사진 확대 [Photo source = Yonhap News]

Doosan Group is expanding its business into the electronics sector.

According to the industry on the 4th, Doosan Group’s expansion of its electronic business area is accelerating. Doosan, which has enjoyed the global market with printed circuit boards (PCBs) in the past, is speeding up its transformation into a high-tech electronics group by considering acquiring wafer, a core material for semiconductors, following semiconductor post-processing.

As Doosan considers acquiring SK Siltron, the only silicon wafer semiconductor company in Korea, attention is being paid to whether Doosan will complete a value chain that covers wafer (material) to post-process (test) and automation (robot). If the acquisition is completed, it is expected to signal Doosan’s transition to a high-tech electronic material-oriented group.

Doosan’s electronics business history is quite long. Doosan Electronics, which entered the electronics industry as a PCB business in the late 1970s and once ranked fifth in the world, supplied it to global information technology (IT) companies based on its chemical and material technology.

In the past, Doosan Electronics Co., Ltd.’s business division, Electronics BG (Business Group), continues to operate. Even in difficult times, Doosan did not give up on this business, which is a genuine one.

사진설명 사진 확대

Electronics BG recorded sales of KRW 1.63 trillion last year, accounting for 5.55% of Doosan’s consolidated sales, but its proportion grew to account for 9.1% with sales of KRW 878.8 billion in the first half of this year. The technology accumulated during PCB production is now widely used in copper foil for secondary batteries, semiconductor materials, and robot control technologies.

The copper clad laminate (CCL) produced by the company is manufactured by receiving copper clad from Lotte Energy Materials and Solus Advanced Materials, and then handed over to PCB companies (Taiwan companies, etc.) to be delivered to Nvidia. As demand for Nvidia’s artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators increases, the demand for CCL produced by electronic BG also increases.

Doosan Tessna is also experiencing a sharp increase in its performance thanks to increased demand for system semiconductors in the semiconductor packaging test (post-process). The company recently invested 171.4 billion won in equipment. This investment amounts to 21.76% of the total assets. Sales are expected to rise rapidly in line with demand for state-of-the-art semiconductors with plans to complete the Pyeongtaek plant in 2027.

Doosan Robotics is growing into the world’s top five cooperative robots and plays a key role in automation. The company has acquired an 89.6% stake in OneExia, an American robot solution company, and is focusing its capabilities on developing “intelligent robots” that combine AI and software, breaking away from the existing business framework centered on cooperative robots.

Doosan, which has increased its cash holdings on the back of the “real” performance of electronics-related companies, is also seeking to acquire SK Siltron, the only silicon wafer maker in Korea.

Doosan is taking off its mechanical and energy-oriented image and putting weight on its semiconductor and electronic materials businesses, a business official said. “Dusan’s electronic DNA, which started as a PCB, is blooming again after 50 years.”