Hyosung launches its independently developed high-performance carbon fiber TANSOME® globally

Hyosung announced on the 12^th that the company will hit its stride in full-scale global brand marketing to let the world know of its independently developed high-performance carbon fiber TANSOME® at the world’s biggest composite materials exhibition JEC Europe 2014 taking place in Paris, France.

The JEC Europe is held every March in Paris and is the event that receives the most attention in the carbon fiber composite materials industry. This year the event will be held for three days from March 11 (local time) to 13 (local time). Participating in this event for two years running from 2013, Hyosung plans to increase its dominance over the global market by showcasing the performance of its carbon fiber business that began full-scale commercialization last year. The event will also enable Hyosung to show worldwide clients and industry experts the excellence of Hyosung products and its TANSOME® brand.

“Hyosung is actively seeking to increase its presence in both U.S. and European markets, which are advanced markets in carbon fiber composite materials with high entry barriers for newcomers. To successfully compete in such markets, Hyosung will build on the momentum it has gained through developing and commercializing high-strength and high-performance carbon fiber in the shortest time ever,” said Cho Hyun-sang, Industrial Materials PG Head and Vice-President of the Strategy Division. “We will foster TANSOME® into a strong brand acknowledged as such by our clients, and strive to develop new technologies and secure quality so that Hyosung will be rightly seen as the world’s top-class carbon fiber company.”

TANSOME® received global attention from being fitted to the car frame, hood and side panels of Hyundai Motor Company’s future concept car Intrado displayed at the Geneva Motor Show 2014 on March 5. Intrado’s frame, which applied TANSOME®, is notable for its high fuel efficiency as the car body is 60% lighter than other cars made with steel plate, yet retains the same strength.

Hyosung is the first company in Korea to succeed in developing high-performance carbon fiber by applying their own independent technology, with commercial production started in 2013. The company participated in JEC Europe 2013 last year and successfully launched to great critical acclaim its TANSOME® brand, whose name means “marvelous carbon fiber born in strong flames..” Hyosung’s global marketing campaign is now in full swing.

Hyosung showcased the excellence of TANSOME® in various domestic and global composite materials exhibitions last year including the China Composite Expo, JEC America, International Carbon Festival, and Korea Composite Show. Industry experts rate the strength and elastic modulus of TANSOME® as world-class.

Carbon fiber is a state-of-the-art material expected to replace iron in the future as it is 75% lighter and 10 times stronger than steel. It is used in various fields like industrial materials such as cars, wind power generator wings (blades), civil engineering and construction, and pressure vessels; aircrafts such as Boeing 787 and Airbus 380; and sports and leisure equipment such as golf clubs, fishing rods, tennis rackets, and bicycle frames. The global market size is currently 50,000 tons a year ($2 billion) with annual growth of 11%. Thus, it’s expected to grow into a market worth $5 billion by 2020. “We will make our utmost efforts to foster the TANSOME® brand into the leader of the rapidly-growing carbon fiber industry based on Hyosung’s know-how and technological skills accumulated for over 50 years in the chemical fiber and industrial materials field, and strive to make our carbon fiber industry secure its place as a national business,” said Vice-President Cho.