Little or nothing united Seoul and Mont-roig del Camp until last Monday. The announcement of the installation of a battery component plant of the South Korean Iljin Materials, anticipated by La Vanguardia, creates an unexpected bridge that promises to bless the area, traditionally focused on tourism. The story started much earlier, with a fundraising strategy, first contacts in the summer and daily comings and goings until everything was sealed, according to sources involved in the process.
The strategy paid off. In August 2021, the first contact was established with Iljin Materials, a firm that was looking to set up its third factory abroad, apart from Iksan (Korea) and Malaysia, and was exploring options. From there until the official announcement, nine months of negotiation followed, with advice from PwC included. The result has been worth it: Iljin Materials, with 600 million euros and 500 direct jobs, is the most important newly established industrial investment in Catalonia in two decades.
He left constantly and the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, was personally involved. First, with a dinner at the Palau de la Generalitat, which, among others, was attended by the Minister of Business, Roger Torrent. It was held on April 5 with the utmost discretion. Not only was it discussed in terms of economic attractiveness, but aspects of the culture of Catalonia were also discussed, including Barça, with a gift of T-shirts to the Korean delegation. The president also intervened personally later to obtain a PPA, a long-term power purchase agreement to make profitable a photovoltaic plant that will be installed next to the Iljin factory.
"The contact with the company was almost daily," explain knowledgeable sources. Constant dialogue between Seoul and Roger Torrent's team. The goal is to respond to any questions or requests "immediately" and move forward in chapters such as the necessary infrastructure or talent. In addition, “a hundred meetings” were held, a dozen in person. Those who have experienced the process highlight the role of Hee Yeon Lee. Above all because of the "trust and complicity" that was achieved in the link between Catalonia and Iljin in the negotiation. Along the way, the Generalitat also contacted other Korean companies already installed in Catalonia so that they could explain to Iljin how they landed and what life is like here.
With Catalonia winning integers, it was time to travel. In December, a technical and managerial team from Iljin arrived and settled in the country for three months. But in the location search, he had "demanding conditions." From the outset, he wanted a large piece of land: the facilities will cover 30,000 m². Also that the soil was bedrock to support heavy weights. In addition, a constant flow of energy, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And with easy access to communication infrastructures, highways, ports, with proximity to universities and vocational training centers. And as an anecdote, also that a provisional kitchen could be installed to have Korean food for the technicians and engineers who will come for the construction works.
After visiting several possibilities, Mont-roig fulfilled the conditions. Why did it fit? As the CEO of Iljin Materials, Jeon-Sik Yang, has highlighted, it has a beneficial climate for the production of components, "good maritime, air and rail connections" and easy access to the rest of Europe and North Africa.
Not everything was meetings and visits to lots. The Iljin team was taken on a visit to Barcelona, the old town of Tarragona or Mas Miró (the artist's summer home in Mont-roig). That Catalonia fell in love. Even with gifts, from Barça shirts to a craft replica of the Parc Güell fountain.
The investment will opt for European funds. Iljin entered the project for the Perte of the electric car powered by Seat, to which he was associated "in record time", thanks to the impulse of the Government. He now he looks forward. The idea is to open the plant in 2024, which will be built with part of the technical and engineering team from Korea and the rest with local hiring. It will produce elecfoil, a proprietary thin copper foil used in battery cathodes. Already laid, that the bridge holds.
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