ESS components drive production and earnings
HT Robotics is classified as a robotics stock, but the article finds that its earnings are actually supported not by robots but by energy storage system (ESS) components for North American artificial intelligence (AI) data center power grids.
Gumi city said on October 27 that it would participate in the 2026 Gyeongsangbuk-do Third Future Strategy Industrial Innovation Investment Forum, to be held in Seoul and in Gimcheon and Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on October 29 and 30. The city will hold investor relations presentations for promising companies at the event, featuring HT Robotics as a representative participant.
A closer look at the company's earnings structure, however, shows that robotics is not central to its growth. The ultra-precision aluminum die-casting technology that has been a core business since its days as SeAH Mechanics has found demand amid the AI boom for end plates, essential safety components in large-capacity battery energy storage systems (BESS).
HT Robotics announced on October 15 that cumulative production of ESS end plates for North American AI data center power grids had exceeded 2 million units after 1 year and 4 months of mass production. This was 16 months after mass production first began at its Gumi plant in North Gyeongsang Province in May 2025.
End plates compress both ends of a module containing dozens of battery cells, providing structural support to withstand external impacts and loads. As the operation of very large AI data centers has sharply increased loads on US power grids, large-scale ESS installations have followed, along with increased demand for aluminum housing components offering high heat dissipation and durability.
This mass-production capability has translated into an earnings recovery. HT Robotics reported consolidated revenue of 71.1 billion won in the first half of this year, up 87.5% from a year earlier. It returned to an operating profit of 3.7 billion won and also posted net income of 5.4 billion won.
Its order backlog has reached approximately 700 billion won as deliveries for its main battery customer's US and European projects have increased. These large ESS orders are also driving progress toward its annual revenue target of 150 billion won.
Production and local delivery
The delivery structure is also notable. Shortly after production exceeded 2 million units, HT Robotics chief executive Lee Seong-uk visited a vendor-managed inventory (VMI) logistics hub in Michigan to review inventory operations and customer support. VMI involves stocking components in advance at a warehouse near a customer's factory and supplying them immediately in line with production schedules.
The combination of integrated casting and precision machining at the Gumi plant with direct local delivery is assessed in the article as having created barriers to entry. The company was also selected as a 2026 World Class Plus company by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on October 1.
Robotics remains at an early stage
By contrast, new businesses such as collaborative robots and precision robotics components, highlighted by the company's name change, remain at the early research and development and prototype stages. Robotics-related components account for only a single-digit share of total revenue, while cash flow still comes from energy infrastructure components such as ESS end plates, electric vehicle battery pack cases and module frames.
The article therefore identifies the main issue to watch as how long the company can sustain ESS component profitability through the North American AI power grid infrastructure cycle, rather than expectations surrounding robotics stocks. Maintaining stable production yields amid pressure from battery cell manufacturers to lower prices and fluctuations in aluminum raw material prices, together with whether planned expansion beyond end plates into higher-value products such as liquid-cooling components and battery management system (BMS) housings proceeds as planned, is expected to determine its underlying value.
Original Korean article: leadeconomy.co.kr
English brief by Korea Wind Intelligence, koreawindintel.com
