SKC Kolon PI (Changwoon Yoon , CEO), one of the world’s top three polyimide makers, said it expanded two production lines by investing 100 billion won in a bid to reinforce its global competitiveness in the PI film sector and to emerge as the world’s largest PI film producer. The Company produces an annual output of 1,500 tons from four production lines at its Jincheon Plant and Gumi Plant. When the 1,200-ton expansion of its production facilities is completed in early 2012, the Company will secure a combined output of 2,700s ton per year, thus laying the foundation for it to leap towards becoming a major global enterprise in the industry.

SKC Kolon PI is a joint venture for polyimide manufacturing that was established in June 2008 through the joint investment of SKC and Kolon, a company that had conducted its own respective operations. After posting sales of 35 billion won in 2008, the year the two p s merged, the new Company posted 78 billion won in 2009. With the Company marking phenomenal growth year after year by banking on its much-enhanced competitiveness in marketing and products, it is expected to attain sales of 150 billion won in 2010.

Notably, when the newly expanded production lines are launched in earnest, the Company will not only reinforce its dominance in the FCCL and FPCB markets, but will also develop new products by making aggressive R&D investments; it will also make inroads into the display and semiconductor materials market, which are currently dominated by Toray-DuPont and Kaneka, thereby expanding its market share.

Presenting the company’s mid- to long-term vision, CEO Changwoon Yoon said, “Through the expansion of facilities, we will proactively cope with growing demand for PI film in tune with the growth of the world’s IT industry, and will make an aggressive foray into the display and semiconductor markets through the development of new products. By so doing, we will grow from our current third-place position to become the world’s top p in 2012.”

The global PI film market is projected to post collective annual sales of 7,000 tons and a combined value of 1.1 trillion won as of 2010. Amid robustly expanding demand for the film due to the trends of strong IT industry growth and increasingly lighter and smaller IT products, the market is projected to hit 10,000 tons and 1.4 trillion won in 2015. Annual sales growth of PI film will likely hit over 10 percent in the display and semiconductor markets, while, by region, the markets in Korea and Greater China will likely see over 15 percent growth per annum.

Currently, Toray-DuPont, and Kaneka collectively control 44 percent of the global PI film market, while SKC Kolon PI claims a 15 percent share. On the back of its new facilities under construction, SKC Kolon PI is poised to be reborn as the world’s top maker of PI film, controlling a 25 percent market share.