[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyung-wook ] KBI METAL CO., LTD. posted its highest-ever cumulative operating profit for the first three quarters of this year, driven by rising copper prices and the consolidation of its wire manufacturing affiliate, KBI Cosmolink. However, the trend of improving performance slowed in the third quarter.

According to KBI METAL CO., LTD. on the 13th, the company posted consolidated revenue of 778.7 billion won and operating profit of 30.8 billion won for the first three quarters of this year. These figures represent year-over-year increases of 33.7% and 390.0%, respectively.

The company has already surpassed both last year’s annual revenue of 758.6 billion won and operating profit of 24.3 billion won, and its cumulative net profit has turned positive, reaching 30.0 billion won.

The main factors cited include the reflection of rising copper prices in sales prices and improved performance at subsidiaries such as KBI Cosmolink.

KBI METAL CO., LTD. is a subsidiary of the KBI Group that primarily produces copper wire rod, which is used as raw material for electrical wires. It also manufactures parts for automotive motors and generators.

In particular, on December 30 of last year, the company acquired an additional stake in KBI Cosmolink, a wire manufacturer (increasing its stake from 45.03% to 50.16%), thereby incorporating it as a subsidiary. This move expanded the company’s business scope from raw materials to finished wire products, while also incorporating KBI Cosmolink’s results into the consolidated financials.

The trend of improving performance slowed somewhat in the third quarter. Revenue rose 46.6% year-over-year to 288.3 billion won, but operating profit fell 22.6% to just 2.4 billion won.

KBI METAL CO., LTD. aims to achieve its best-ever annual performance this year by leveraging its power grid value chain—which includes KBI Cosmolink (wires) and KBI Electric (transformers), acquired this year—to meet growing demand for power infrastructure, such as artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and the replacement of aging power grids.

A KBI METAL CO., LTD. official stated, “We are increasing production capacity and strengthening our technological and quality competitiveness through aggressive capital investment,” adding, “We will strive to achieve record annual earnings based on our power grid value chain.”