Hyundai L&C Drives to Capture Domestic Reconstruction and Remodeling Market

Expansion of 'Premium Kanstone' Production Line Superior to Natural Stone
Annual Production Capacity of 2.2 Million ㎡ at Global 4th Level "Leading Global Engineered Stone Trends"

Hyundai L&C Sejong Plant (located in Bugang-myeon, Sejong Special Self-Governing City) Kanstone 2nd production line overview. [Photo by Hyundai L&C]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Hyundai L&C is accelerating its efforts to target the domestic reconstruction and remodeling market by expanding its premium "Engineered Stone (Kanstone)" production line equipped with cutting-edge facilities.

Hyundai L&C, a comprehensive building materials company affiliated with Hyundai Department Store Group, announced on the 29th that it held a completion ceremony for the "Sejong Kanstone 2nd Production Line," built with an investment of about 50 billion KRW at the Sejong plant, and has begun full-scale operation.

Kanstone is an "engineered stone" made with over 90% natural quartz, featuring higher surface strength than natural stone, making it less prone to scratches or breakage, and with a moisture absorption rate close to 0%, it is highly resistant to contamination and corrosion. Hyundai L&C entered the engineered stone market in 2004 under the brand name "Kanstone" and is currently the number one company in domestic market share. Recently, demand has expanded not only for kitchen furniture countertops but also for art walls and flooring materials.

With the operation of the Sejong Kanstone 2nd Production Line, Hyundai L&C is expected to double its annual Kanstone production capacity in Korea to 1.1 million square meters. Including the existing Sejong Kanstone 1st Production Line and the 1st and 2nd production lines at the Canadian plant (Ontario), the company will be able to produce 2.2 million square meters of engineered stone annually. This production scale ranks fourth in the global engineered stone market, following Spain's Cosentino, Israel's Caesarstone, and the United States' Cambria.

The Sejong Kanstone 2nd Production Line, like the 1st production line operating since 2004, was built using engineered stone production equipment from Italy's Breton. Breton is the only stone processing equipment company in the world that holds the original technology for manufacturing engineered stone, known for its overwhelmingly superior precision and aesthetics in pattern realization. All leading companies in the global market use Breton's equipment, and Hyundai L&C is the only company in Korea operating a full production line of engineered stone from Breton.

With the operation of the Sejong Kanstone 2nd Production Line, Hyundai L&C plans to launch about 20 new premium products by next year, expanding the Kanstone product lineup from the current 30 to about 50 items. In particular, Hyundai L&C plans to accelerate its strategy to target the domestic reconstruction and remodeling market by implementing a so-called two-track strategy that utilizes both general Kanstone and premium Kanstone products.

Lee Jae-gak, General Manager (Executive Director) of Hyundai L&C's Interior Stone Business Division, said, "Through the expansion of the Sejong Kanstone 2nd Production Line, we plan to expand product supply not only to target the domestic reconstruction and remodeling market but also to the furniture and interior industries," adding, "We will solidify our position as a trend-leading company in the global engineered stone market as well as domestically through premium Kanstone."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.