 - Emerges as global fine chemical producer by advancing into Poland after China, U.S.
 - To use Polish plant as beachhead for its inroads into Eastern Europe, Russia
 - Aims to secure 300 billion won in annual sales from six global hubs by 2013


On November 19, SKC announced that it held a ceremony to launch a polyurethane system house at its Polish plant complex (SKC Europe pu) in the Dzierzoniow Special Economic Zone. Attending the event were SKC Chairman Chey Shin-won; Henryk Smolartz, member of the lower house of the Polish parliament; Marek Piorun, the mayor of Dzierzoniow; the president of Greber, and executives and staff members of Korean companies that have operations in the area.

SKC’s Polish plant was constructed in a seven-month project, and has an annual output of 20,000 tons. SKC thus secured another global production hub only six months after launching the polyurethane system house in the U.S. state of Georgia last May. SKC plans to construct additional system houses in Southeast Asia and India as it accelerates its advance into the global chemical market. The Company thus plans to secure a combined production capacity of 100,000 tons at six global production _ base_s, including the existing Beijing Plant, and attain annual sales in excess of 300 billion won by 2013.

In his speech for the inaugural ceremony, Chairman Chey said, “By completing another polyurethane system house in Poland, SKC has laid the foundation to take a leap forward to become a global fine chemical producer,” adding, “As a corporate citizen of Poland, the Company will continue to expand investment and reinvest profits in the country to become an enterprise that helps galvanize the local economy and contributes to the Polish economy.”

The Polish plant is to produce a main material of polyurethane, which is used in automobile seats and as an insulator for construction/refrigerators. Starting with supply of the product to Korean automobile and electronics companies operating in Mid- and Eastern Europe and in Russian markets, the plant will expand supply of its products to local companies by banking on R&D and the marketing capacity that SKC has accumulated over 20-plus years.

SKC is Korea’s lone producer of propylene oxide. The Company has recently been expanding R&D investment in the development of high value-added fine chemical products and related businesses. SKC plans to develop the Polish plant as a beachhead for export of its fine chemical products, including Polyol and PG, from the Ulsan Plant in Korea, while developing the Polish plant into a Total Solution Provider for polyurethane.