Axbis wins 8.22 billion won battery laser supply deal

Axbis said Wednesday it has secured an 8.22 billion won ($6.05 million) contract to supply laser systems for prismatic battery manufacturing, a deal equal to 14.5 percent of the company's recent revenue.

The Kosdaq-listed firm will deliver welding equipment under an agreement that runs from Sept. 29 to Sept. 28 next year, according to a regulatory filing. The company did not name the customer.

The order is for Axbis's AXWELD systems, which join two metals and are widely used in modularizing battery cells and in producing automotive parts. Welding accounted for 69.6 percent of first-half product revenue at 13.1 billion won, followed by surface-treatment equipment at 23 percent, or 4.3 billion won, and laser drying equipment at 6.2 percent, or 1.2 billion won.

Chief Executive Kim Myung-jin has framed the company's pitch around VisionSCAN, a single platform that pairs laser optics, multiple sensors, control systems and software with artificial intelligence and robotics. "VisionSCAN recognizes product positions on its own using cameras and sensors, automatically corrects the laser position, and resets processing conditions at optimal laser output," Kim said. "It performs real-time automatic correction based on AI and robotics technology without a person having to readjust anything." He said the system achieves precision of about 10 micrometers, roughly one-tenth the thickness of a human hair.

"We have secured customer trust based on this technology and field experience, and have continued steady revenue growth and profits for 17 years since our founding," he said.