ElectriPlast: Making the Case for the “Seoul Brothers”...

 

Striking

Gold...

Maybe

Yes!!
 

By Vince S.,
ElectriPlast Blog Editor
   
    

“Testing for conductivity, shielding (both electric and electro-magnetic) and mechanical strength all met or exceeded Hanwha L&C's demanding requirements.” 

Integral Technologies Press Release, 1 Feb 2012

 
Have we struck gold with the Hanwha connection?

News from the Korean peninsula has been a near permanent fixture in the US media since that military masterpiece, the Inchon Landing in 1950. Whether the news concerns saber-rattling on the 38th parallel, the election of the first Korean secretary general of the United Nations, attempts at rapprochement between the two Koreas, or the recent changing of the guard in Pyongyang, things Korean have had a way of capturing headlines in the US. Now, another bold Korean move has grabbed headlines by taking an initiative that will have a profound impact on the future of Integral Technologies; it has the potential to introduce ElectriPlast to Asian markets and drive sales in the United States.


ElectriPlast Meets the Chaebol

In a recent series of Integral Technologies press releases, it was announced that Hanwha, a $30 billion multinational conglomerate (chaebol), signed a Letter of Intent for exclusive rights to manufacture ElectriPlast pellets and to produce ElectriPlast for the Korean and Asian markets. Previously, “growing demand” had generated the need for Integral to open an office in Seoul. Given that one of Hanwha’s major market areas is in the automotive sector, let’s take a quick look at that sector to see what impact Hanwha might have on Integral Technologies. Naturally, it doesn’t take much of a stretch to link Hanwha’s booming automobile parts business to their cross-town neighbor Hyundai. Make no mistake about it; we are in all likelihood talking about ultimately providing Hanwha-made ElectriPlast parts to Hyundai, a major player in the global automobile space.


But speaking of chaebols, Hanwha is the third largest Korean multinational conglomerate behind Samsung ($220 billion) and LG Chem ($89.55 billion). It is unlikely that those two will sit on the sidelines and watch Hanwha increase sales through the introduction of ElectriPlast. In fact, according to an April 12, 2011 article on the ElectriPlast Company Corner blog, LG Chem has already developed a battery pack with ElectriPlast shielding.


Nimble, Innovative and Constantly Expanding

Since the introduction of Hyundai to the US market in 1986, Hyundai (with subsidiary, Kia), made the decision to combine quantity and quality, strategic moves that paid huge dividends by elevating Hyundai to the fourth largest automobile manufacturer in the world by 2010. Hyundai, which means modernity in Korean and Kia, deriving from Korean words that mean to rise to the world from Asia, is also expanding in the US to make its products more accessible to US manufacturers.


The Korean just-in-time philosophy came at a time when US automotive sales-- reeling from the impact of the recession, concerns about quality and rising labor costs--virtually flat-lined.


Unbridled Enthusiasm and formidable competitors

Now the American automobile market is enjoying a dramatic turn-around. Consider these two recent factoids:

• After several years on life support, car and truck sales rose 11 percent in January 2012, kick-starting what is expected to be the strongest year for the US auto industry since the start of the recession.

• Chrysler, which was on the verge of receiving “last rites,” has rebounded to the point where they are giving 26,000 factory workers profit-sharing checks of circa $1500 each.

Given this upside environment, is it any wonder that Hanwha, who are rapidly expanding their operations worldwide, are about to introduce ElectriPlast to the Asian and US markets? The Koreans, with a history of innovation and vision and a reputation for being nimble, will be the first to go to market with ElectriPlast on a large scale. Also, a possible consequence of Hanwha’s move might be to drive those many US companies, with whom we have been engaged for years, to accelerate their plans, once Hanwha proves that it can book huge sales using ElectriPlast.


Once again, the Korean peninsula has delivered bold headlines, the results of which appear to bode well for Integral Technologies. This striking news is bound to produce stunning results.


To answer the question in the sub-headline, it sure looks like it.