South Korean composite materials specialist opens its first European base at MIRA Technology Park in Warwickshire

Hankuk Carbon, a pioneer in the Korean composite material manufacturing industry, has opened its first European office at MIRA Technology Park.

The move marks a commitment from the manufacturer to strengthen ties with automotive OEMs across Europe, as well as further develop links within the sports, leisure and industrial markets.

By being located on MIRA Technology Park, Hankuk Carbon will be joining the growing automotive technology cluster which already includes the likes of Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin and Bentley. Furthermore, the location of the new facility will allow Hankuk Carbon to seek out strategic partnerships, as the firm looks to further improve the efficiency of its high-volume manufacturing model.

Hankuk Carbon has developed PCM (Prepreg Compression Moulding) materials which can be cured within one minute. This enables the manufacturing cycle time of composite components to be reduced dramatically and allows the company to deliver high-volume output to OEMs and Tier 1s. With an established presence in the luxury yacht market, which demands a lower yield of material per year, Hankuk Carbon’s ability to produce at high capacity has allowed it to diversify its market proposition as the automotive market increases demand for lightweight composite materials such as carbon fibre.

Byoungha Min, Branch Director at Hankuk Carbon, said: “As the electrification and automation of vehicles becomes more prevalent, reducing the weight of a vehicle becomes progressively important. We’ve seen an increased demand for composite materials as a result and MIRA Technology Park’s pioneering CAV and EV tenants will provide a key opportunity for collaboration.”

Terry Spall, Commercial Director at MIRA Technology Park, said: “As a technology cluster, MIRA Technology Park hosts some of the most exciting companies working on the development of the next generation of automobiles. The way that we travel is set to change over the coming years and the companies that we have on site will be a real driving force in that evolution.

“Hankuk Carbon presents an opportunity for OEMs across Europe. The firm’s ability to manufacture composite intermediate materials such as carbon or glass prepregs for the PCM process – which can be cured in such a short time frame – makes the high-volume production of vehicles with carbon fibre components very realistic, providing a huge array of benefits for vehicle manufacturers.”