In 2019, SK On entered the U.S. market by establishing its first battery plant in Georgia. This site later grew into SK Battery America (SKBA), SK’s first battery production hub in North America. Building on this foundation, SK On expanded its presence by opening an office in Detroit, the heart of the U.S. automotive industry, further strengthening its position in the fast-evolving battery market. Today, these two locations form the core of SK On’s innovation and growth strategy in North America.
SKBA, SK On’s U.S. manufacturing subsidiary in Georgia, connects SK On with the local community through a foundation of trust. Located at the center of the “Battery Belt*,” SKBA collaborates closely with local governments, academia, and industry partners to strengthen manufacturing competitiveness and create shared value. Meanwhile, SK On’s North America Regional Headquarters (RHQ) in Detroit functions as the strategic hub for market insights, customer engagement, brand communications, and marketing. The RHQ plays a central role in reinforcing SK On’s presence and voice amid a rapidly evolving North American market.
*Battery Belt: A corridor of EV battery production stretching from Georgia through Tennessee and Ohio to Michigan.
Trust built from the ground and competitiveness forged in the market — together, these two forces drive a single mission: advancing SK On’s North America expansion as a leader in K-battery technology.
■ Mornings Begin with a Rush of Information in Two U.S. Cities
[Commerce, Georgia]
In Commerce, Christian Bokich begins his morning by checking the news as soon as he arrives at work. His first task is to review media coverage related to the City of Commerce, the State of Georgia, and the United States as a whole. He pays close attention to developments that could influence the operations of SK On and SK Battery America (SKBA), including issues related to government relations. Any essential information is immediately shared with both SK On and SK Americas, the U.S.-based entity that oversees SK Group’s external affairs across North America. This rapid, real-time exchange enables the organization to remain responsive to local developments despite the time difference between Korea and the United States. This well-established information-sharing system provides a stable foundation for SKBA’s plant operations in Commerce and strengthens the company’s external engagement efforts.
[Detroit, Michigan]
More than 1,000 kilometers away in Detroit, where she is based, Kenia Ruiz begins her morning by checking emails and mobile messages to determine whether any issues involving SK On or SKBA require an immediate response. She then reviews articles, posts, and industry updates related to customers and the broader market to analyze emerging shifts and identify potential communication considerations. For her, mornings are more than a time to gather information—they offer a moment to assess how SK On is perceived in the market. By monitoring customer reactions and broader industry sentiment, she evaluates the strength of SK On’s brand and refines the tone and messaging the company needs to maintain.
■ The Two Pillars of Trust and Market Competitiveness
[Commerce, Georgia]
Georgia has emerged as a major hub for advanced industries, supported by concentrated transportation, logistics, and energy infrastructure. The state is home to the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It also hosts the ports of Savannah and Brunswick, which serve as major logistics hubs for the southeastern United States. In addition, Plant Vogtle, one of the largest nuclear power facilities in the country, operates in this region. These strengths create ideal conditions for the growth of advanced industries such as EV batteries, energy storage systems (ESS), and data centers. Christian Bokich notes that SK On’s steady growth in the US market is made possible by this unique competitive environment in Georgia.
For him, the most important concept is building goodwill, which he defines as earning trust and positive regard within the community. As a supplier rather than an OEM, SK On and SK Battery America strengthen their local presence by cultivating genuine relationships with the State of Georgia and surrounding communities. Goodwill, as he describes it, means listening to community needs and offering support in ways that residents can experience directly. To honor the incentives received from the state, SKBA gives back to the community through volunteer programs, education partnerships, and employee welfare initiatives. The company also continues to deepen collaboration with state leaders, academic partners, and local businesses through strong, mutual relationships.
Trust must also be built inside the plant, not only outside it. Bokich supports the operation of the newly opened on-site medical facility, the SK Cares Center, which launched in October. He also works with the manufacturing innovation and plant management teams to review safety signage and improve the overall working environment. Recently, he organized an internal SK Field Day to encourage camaraderie and enjoyable communication among employees. Through these efforts inside and outside the plant, SKBA has become recognized in the community as a good employer and good corporate citizen.
[Detroit, Michigan]
In Detroit, Kenia Ruiz focuses on communicating SK On’s technological competitiveness to the market. She closely tracks a broad spectrum of players—from traditional automakers to EV startups, ESS companies, robotics firms, and e-mobility businesses—to understand the wide range of customer segments that SK On’s technology can serve. Through this, she identifies new opportunities and builds relationships across these diverse fields. She explains, “To do this, we have to meet our customers and potential customers where they’re at and take advantage of the right opportunities to share who SK On is and what sets us apart as the right partner.”
Ruiz sees SK On’s strongest differentiator in its role as a pioneer of K-batteries in the US market. She believes the company’s continued investment and commitment in the US, combined with its foundation as an energy company, make SK On a reliable and steady partner even in a rapidly changing market environment. This, Ruiz says, is the source of SK On’s true competitiveness.
Guided by this belief, over the past several months she has supported SK On’s leaders with their keynote speeches and panel discussions at major North American industry events, including “The Battery Show Detroit,” Reuters’ “Automotive USA Conference,” and “American Clean Power Charge Up.” These efforts helped raise SK On’s reputation as a leading battery manufacturer and opened doors to new business opportunities.
Ruiz’s scope of activities has expanded even further following SK On’s recent merger with SK Enmove. She now has greaterl opportunities to build knowledge in technology areas beyond EV battery manufacturing, such as EV thermal management solutions based on SK Enmove’s advanced lubricants and immersion-cooling technology. She plans to connect the combined expertise and experience of both companies into a unified story that communicates the greater synergy SK On can deliver as a top-tier company for the electrification era.
■ One Team Spirit Driving Growth in the World’s Second-Largest Market
The US is a vast stage where production, markets, policies, and strategy are distributed across multiple regions. Georgia leads on-the-ground manufacturing and community engagement. Detroit manages customer relationships and market-facing activities. SK Americas in Washington, D.C. oversees policy, regulatory affairs, and federal-level engagement. As these regional teams carry out their specialized responsibilities across the country, their work comes together to form a unified and effective K-battery strategy for North America.
This structure, where each region has a clearly defined and advanced function, allows SK On to maintain speed and stability in a highly complex US market. Insights and decisions gathered at each site circulate in real time with the Seoul headquarters. They are refined into one unified direction and then re-applied to the US operations. This extensive network of regional collaboration strengthens SK On’s position as a leading K-battery company and helps build both global technological excellence and strong brand trust.
At the heart of this system is a firm conviction that everyone advances as “One Team” toward a single goal: growing SK On into a global top-tier battery company and a world-class brand. The organic connection linking teams across Georgia, Detroit, and Washington, D.C.—and extending further to colleagues in Korea—represents an irreplaceable strength unique to SK On. This unified network forms the foundation of the company’s true One Team Spirit.
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