SK On said Wednesday that its Ivancsa Plant in Hungary has received Ford’s Q1 Award, the automaker’s highest quality certification for supplier facilities, just over two years after starting commercial operations.
The battery maker held an award ceremony at the site Tuesday, where SK On Europe head Kim Seong-sik received a plaque from Ford representatives.
Ford grants Q1 status after assessing suppliers on production technology, product quality, improvement efforts, and manufacturing and quality management systems. The designation reflects the automaker’s “Quality is Job 1” philosophy.
The Ivancsa facility began mass production in the second quarter of 2024 and has since focused on stabilizing operations and strengthening quality controls. Ford evaluated the site from late 2025 through the first half of 2026 as part of the certification process.
During the assessment, the US automaker highlighted SK On’s systems for preventing defective products from shipping and for identifying and addressing potential quality risks in advance, according to the company.
Ivancsa is SK On’s third battery manufacturing base in Hungary, following its first and second plants in Komarom. Construction began in the third quarter of 2021, with commercial operations starting in the second quarter of 2024. The site has an annual production capacity of 30 gigawatt-hours.
Together with the two Komarom plants, which have annual capacities of 7.5 GWh and 10 GWh, respectively, SK On has a combined annual battery production capacity of 47.5 GWh in Hungary.
“This Q1 Award reflects the joint efforts of our headquarters and local employees to put quality first,” Kim said. “We will continue strengthening the manufacturing and quality competitiveness of our Hungary plant through continuous improvement and proactive quality management to live up to our customers’ trust.”
yejinlim@heraldcorp.com
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