Mplus, a secondary battery assembly equipment maker, has secured 55 billion won in mid- to long-term investment funding. The company said on Monday it has 확보 secured liquidity to use in three new growth businesses: defense, solid-state batteries and autonomous mobile robots (AIMR).

The funds raised will be deployed to expand orders across the three businesses. The company’s strategy is to boost its ability to win new projects ahead of large-scale orders expected in 2027.

The fundraising was carried out in two tranches. Mplus secured 20 billion won through a primary collateralised bond obligation (P-CBO) that securitises new corporate bonds with a guarantee from the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund. The terms are an interest rate of 5.32 percent and a three-year maturity.

It also borrowed 15 billion won in three-year long-term funding from Shinhan Bank at an interest rate of 4.87 percent. Including 20 billion won in unsecured private bonds taken up by DB Financial Investment in the first half of the year, with an interest rate of 5.8 percent and a two-year maturity, the average interest rate is about 5.37 percent.

The company is accelerating its push into the U.S. defense market. Its strategy is to broaden its business scope into a special-purpose battery market with high entry barriers and high margins.

Mplus won a supply contract in October from a European global battery company identified as Company A for prismatic notching and stacking equipment for defense and multi-purpose special models. The company expects visible results soon, with a goal of increasing related orders to about 25 billion won.

In solid-state batteries, it has secured orders for assembly and electrode lines. The global customer is expected to begin fully rolling out product lines equipped with solid-state batteries from 2030.

The AIMR business is expanding into autonomous manufacturing systems that combine AI with technology accumulated in secondary battery assembly equipment. The company expects meaningful orders in 2027 and plans to cultivate the business as a mid- to long-term growth engine in the era of physical AI.

An Mplus official said, "While we need operating funds of about 50 percent of the total order value, industry conditions mean we have no choice but to rely on short-term borrowing, so this mid- to long-term fundraising is unusually positive." The official added, "Based on a solid financial structure, we will actively push to expand orders in 2027."