Interview M. Lee, CEO de Enchem

In May 2024, South Korean electrolyte champion Enchem made official its decision to locate a production facility in Dunkirk, close to its OEM customers. At the same time, Enchem chose the European Metropolis of Lille as the location for its offices, creating a sales and engineering base to oversee the industrial project and make the plant operational in September 2025.

The European Metropolis of Lille and the Hauts-de-France region: new milestones in Enchem’s international expansion.

Founded in 2012, Enchem is today Korea’s largest manufacturer of battery electrolytes, essential components in the production of electric car batteries. Worldwide, the company counts over 700 employees and has holds facilities in South Korea, China, the USA and Eastern Europe. Enchem is the world’s fourth-largest producer of electrolytes

After establishing sites in Poland in 2018 and Hungary in 2024, the Korean company continues its European expansion in the Hauts-de-France region, with the construction of a 15,000 sqm plant in Dunkirk. The plant is expected to have an annual capacity of 150,000 tons of electrolytes, 40,000 tons of recycled NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, a solvent used in the production of lithium-ion batteries) and 4,000 tons of cathode suspension. The investment amounts to 57 million euros, with plant inauguration scheduled for January 2025.

A location in Dunkirk responds to crucial logistical challenge. As electrolyte is a transport-sensitive material, it needs to be transported quickly to customers while being maintained at a stable temperature of 10°C. Proximity to customers is therefore essential, which is why the plant is located close to clients such as Verkor, M-Vision and ACC Emotion. The choice of the Hauts-de-France location, at the center of Europe’s Battery Valley, was also guided by the quality of the local workforce, from the numerous skilled workers in the Dunkirk region, to the large pool of senior administrative, sales, support and R&D staff in the Lille area.

A double geographic positioning supported by an entire ecosystem

From the earliest stages of the project, a number of players in the French investment support arena played a decisive role.

Having arrived in Lille last April, Mr. Lee benefited from the invaluable support of the Hello Lille Promotion Agency and Nord France Invest to establish the French branch of Enchem in the Lille European Metropolis. Very quickly, the “Invest” team at Hello Lille Promotion Agency mobilized its real estate partners, who quickly helped find the offices that would house the subsidiary and receive future partner companies of the Dunkirk construction project (architects, construction companies). Numerous flex office and coworking space visits were organized, both in the center of Lille and close to Lille Europe and Lille Flandres train stations. This enabled Mr. Lee to discover a whole range of possibilities and appreciate the competitiveness of rent prices offered in the area. It was finally in Marcq en Baroeul that Enchem chose Multiburo.

“The chosen location has many positive points : easy access with various transport modes, parking space, and also the great support of their staff”, explains M. Lee.

In a second phase, these same teams from the Hello Lille Promotion Agency plan to work alongside Mr. Lee to help select the HR partners who will facilitate the recruitment of the company’s local sales team. This project is a perfect illustration of why and how the European Metropolis of Lille has become an undeniable champion for hosting for R&D activities and decision-making centers for any foreign companies in connection with their industrial projects.

Lille’s reputation as one of the world’s most welcoming cities is well deserved. Once again, everything was done to ensure that the arrival of Mr. Lee and his family went as smoothly as possible. On a personal level, M. Lee benefited from the “professional mobility” program developed by the Hello Lille, driven in partnership with Victoria Relocation.

The personalized program included discovering several neighborhoods within and around Lille, visiting residential opportunities, and targeting suitable international schools. The teams managed to secure a spot for his daughter at the European School Lille Metropole, and helped found the perfect house, thus, enabling the family to arrive and settle in during the summer of 2024. Subsequently, the Hello Lille Promotion Agency will also assist Mr. Lee with the recruitment of a sales team and the relocation of Enchem Poland’s Managers and Directors, who will join him within the next two years in Lille.