MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hyosung Group said that it has developed high-performance thermoplastic polymers called polyketones, which will be used in various types of value-added industrial products, said Koreantimes.
The firm claimed the company is the first in the world to commercialize the material, saying it is one of the greatest achievements in the materials industry, tantamount to the development of nylon by American chemical giant DuPont more than seven decades ago.
Since 2004, Hyosung has spent over 50 billion won on developing the material. Unlike many other engineering plastics, polyketones are relatively easy to synthesize and could be derived from inexpensive monomers.
Meanwhile, the material reduces the level of harmful gases in the atmosphere while engineering high-performance products.
Shell of the United States originally launched the project in 1996, however, the oil firm discontinued it in 2000.
In a press release, Hyosung said the development will bring about some 10 trillion won in economic effects in the long term. Polyketones will be used in manufacturing various industrial products, including vehicles, pipes, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), cable ties and tire cords.
The firm said it has completed a polyketone factory with an annual production capacity of 1,000 tons in the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan, last year. It plans to expand the annual capacity to 50,000 tons by 2015 to preempt the very-lucrative and highly-promising market. The total market value is estimated at 66 trillion won in 2015.
“We’ve already started shipping samples to 100 set-makers including Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group. We are receiving positive reviews from clients for the material. But higher price and low production yields are the biggest challenging factors that should be addressed. With more calls, those issues will be effectively handled,” said Woo of Hyosung.
In October 2013 the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) was looking into suspicions that Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Suk-rae and his family took out loans worth billions of won from the company through accounts made under false identities. The FSS, which is expected to begin the investigation in November, will look into whether Cho’s family appropriated the borrowed money for personal use.
Hyosung Corporation is a Korean industrial conglomerate, founded in 1957. It operates in various fields, including the chemical industry, industrial machinery, IT, trade, and construction.
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