Kolon Industries is expanding its automotive materials business and accelerating its efforts to penetrate the global market.
Kolon Industries launched a new division in January that consolidates its capabilities in the automotive materials and components business. The new division includes the automotive materials segment partitioned and merged from KOLON Glotech and the organization responsible for key industrial materials such as ▲Whainon (PET spunbond) ▲Shamude (PET suede) ▲Gionic (PU-coated composite materials).
Whainon is a PET spunbond from Kolon Industries that is utilized in various fields such as automotive carpets, headliners, and mobility and industrial filters. Since starting production of Whainon in 1985, the company has continuously expanded its market share in the domestic and global automotive parts market.
Shamude is a high-end artificial leather material made from Kolon Industries' PET suede, which is lighter than natural leather, less sensitive to temperature, and convenient to use. It is popular as an interior material for domestic and international luxury car brands, applied across various vehicle interior components such as car seats, headliners, door panels, and dashboards. Shamude holds over 90% of the domestic market for automotive PET suede.
Gionic, secured through the merger with Glotech, is also one of the products expected to grow in the future automotive materials and components market. Gionic is a material that allows for flexible design expressions through multiple layers of PU (polyurethane) applied over synthetic leather or fabric, combining material, color, gloss, and graphics. It is currently being used in major domestic electric vehicle models.
Kolon Industries is also focusing on the development of eco-friendly automotive materials. The 'Eco' product line, which utilizes waste PET bottles as raw materials, is representative. 'Shamude Eco' is a product certified by the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) and accounts for 50% of the total Shamude production. 'Whainon Eco,' which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 43% compared to existing spunbond products, has obtained the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification as the first in the domestic nonwoven fabric sector, leading the eco-friendly materials market. RCS and GRS certifications are global recycling standard certifications.
In the high-performance materials sector, the company provides solutions suitable for future mobility. Aramid pulp processed from aramid yarn is used as a reinforcement material for automotive parts such as ▲brake pads ▲gaskets ▲tire rubber. The hybrid tire cord (HTC), which blends aramid and nylon, is designed to withstand high loads for electric vehicle tires. Aramid is known for being stronger than steel and resistant to heat and friction, and it is a material that Kolon Industries holds the top market share in domestically.
According to the global market research firm Mordor Intelligence, the global automotive interior market size is expected to grow from $13.883 billion in 2025 to $17.575 billion by 2030, with an average annual growth rate of 4.83%.
A representative from Kolon Industries noted, "In the future, we will focus on lightweight, eco-friendly materials, and design differentiation to establish sustainable growth drivers in the automotive materials business."