KBI Dongguk Industrial Wins IR52 Jang Young-sil Award for 'Eco-friendly Crash Pad'

KBI Dongkuk Industrial eco-friendly crash pad applied to the Sportage. Photo by KBI Dongkuk Industrial

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] KBI Dongguk Industrial Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Jinsan) announced on the 24th that its eco-friendly crash pad, applied to mass-produced vehicles, was selected as a winning product in the 4th week of 2022 for the ‘IR52 Jang Young-sil Award’ hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The ‘IR52 Jang Young-sil Award’ honors the scientific spirit of Jang Young-sil, a scientist from the Joseon Sejong the Great era, by selecting and rewarding companies and research institutes with outstanding technology, newly developed products, and organizations with excellent technological innovation achievements. ‘IR’ stands for ‘Industrial Research,’ meaning the discovery of corporate research achievements, and one product is awarded each week for 52 weeks a year.

Typically, crash pads use adhesives when attaching thick foam materials to improve cushioning or synthetic leather to enhance the surface design, making recycling impossible and causing volatile organic compounds.

The eco-friendly crash pad developed by KBI Dongguk Industrial is the world’s first to apply a technology that bonds by reacting moisture as a catalyst without using organic solvents. This allows recycling and improves both the vehicle interior environment and the product manufacturing environment.

Additionally, compared to existing processes, the foam thickness was reduced to achieve over 25% weight reduction, and through the application of Real Stitch and fabric diversification, the company succeeded in developing a lighter and trendier product compared to competitors.

From a safety perspective, the company explained that it developed an In-mold Scoring technology and a structure that induces airbag deployment pressure, improving airbag deployment performance under both high and low temperature conditions.

The crash pad has been applied to a total of five mass-produced vehicle models, starting with Kia’s K3 in February 2018 and including the Sportage in 2021, achieving sales of 34.6 billion KRW. This year, the company aims for sales of 44 billion KRW, contributing to a turnaround to profitability through increased sales.

Son Dongil, head of the research institute at KBI Dongguk Industrial, said, “We plan to apply the eco-friendly crash pad product awarded this time to electric vehicles mass-produced by Hyundai Kia Motors in the future,” and added, “We expect to apply this technology to various automotive parts going forward.”

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