A facility of SK Battery America Inc., the South Korean company's U.S. unit / Courtesy of SK On Co.
SK On Co., a major South Korean battery manufacturer, has laid off nearly 1,000 workers at its U.S. battery plant in Georgia amid slowing electric vehicle (EV) demand, a company filing showed Saturday.
SK Battery America Inc., SK On's U.S. unit, dismissed 968 employees at its battery manufacturing facility in Commerce, Georgia, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice posted on a Georgia state website.
The layoffs reportedly account for about 37 percent of the plant's total workforce of around 2,500 employees.
The company said the workforce reduction was part of restructuring efforts prompted by slowing EV sales and changing market conditions. The decision was also made to adjust operations while maintaining its commitment to the state of Georgia and efforts to build a strong U.S. supply chain for advanced battery manufacturing.
The Georgia plant has been supplying EV batteries to automakers including Germany's Volkswagen and South Korea's Hyundai Motor. It also supplied batteries for Ford Motor's F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, though profitability was affected after Ford canceled production plans for the model.
SK On is currently building a second battery plant in Georgia to supply batteries to Hyundai Motor, with production scheduled to begin in the first half of this year. Another plant in Tennessee is expected to begin production in 2028.
Source: Korea Times News
