Youngdo Velvet conquers the world market with Display Rubbing Cloth

Essential product for implementing LCD (LED) TV and smartphone contrast and high resolution​

 
▲Rubbing cloth being processed and taken out from the processing machine​

[Fashion Journal: Gumi = Correspondent Gu Dong-chan] Youngdo Velvet (Chairman Byung-sun Ryu), a velvet company, has a production line on the 2nd floor of the dyeing and processing factory in Gumi where outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering. On the 25th, I visited this place for the first time as a reporter from a media company and toured the production site with the guidance of Youngdo Velvet Vice President Lee Seong-ryeol.

As soon as I entered the factory, I was amazed at the clean workplace without any fine dust. In the processing and inspection line of the latest equipment, professional workers for each process were putting their heart into each product.

This factory is the only one in Korea where rubbing cloth is produced and sold all over the world. Loving Four is a key product that determines the contrast and resolution of LCD (including LED) TVs or smartphones.

Global display companies, including LG Display, are key components (fabric) that determine whether they emerge as a leader or be withdrawn from the market depending on which product is used for Rubbing Cloth, which plays the most important role in contrast and resolution when producing flat panel displays. belongs to Just three to four years ago, global display manufacturers had been importing and using Loving Cloth from some Japanese companies at high prices. To that extent, Japanese companies have monopolized the technology patents and product production of Rubbing Cloth, and have reigned in the position of A. Youngdo Velvet developed Loving Cloth, established localization and mass production system, and entered the market in earnest, predicting a change in perception in the market. there is.

The beginning, present, and future of Youngdos Rubbing Cannon development, how will it unfold?

About 10 years ago, in the spring of 2003, Dr. Cho Hwan from the Korea Dyeing Technology Research Institute (currently, Dytech Research Institute) visited Youngdo Velvet. In a face-to-face meeting with Chairman Ryu Byung-sun and Vice President Lee Seong-ryeol, Dr. Cho presented several samples of the Rubbing Cloth fabric used for the display flat panel, stressed the need for localization, and strongly requested that they be developed.

However, Youngdo went into a workout at the time and did not have the funds or space to develop a new product, so it was put off as a later task after worrying over and over again.

▲ The thickness of the rubbing cloth is being measured during the final inspection process

However, the opportunity turned around two months later when officials from the new product development team from SK Chemicals visited Youngdo. At the time, SK Chemicals had technical know-how on design and weaving for loving cloth, but was unable to find a partner to produce it.
 

However, the materials of the rubbing cloth produced by Japanese companies were rayon and cotton, so products of these materials could not be produced. This is because even the material is infringing on the patent.

Therefore, SK Chemicals and Youngdo conclude that acetate material is a better material and start development.

From 2003 to 2006, technicians at SK Chemicals and Youngdo finally made a prototype after hundreds or thousands of weaving, dyeing, and processing tests for product development using acetate as a material.
 

In particular, by applying dyeing technology to acetate yarn, it developed a technology that can increase the display contrast and high resolution by turning the surface of the yarn into rayon.

Youngdo decided that this product was of much better quality than rayon or cotton rubbing cloth and tried to launch it in the market, but faced difficulties. There was no display company to test this product.

This is because when display companies produce displays using Youngdos rubbing cloth, the risk of causing display product defects due to the rubbing cloth is too great.

Youngdo was convinced of the excellence of the product and rushed to build mass production facilities without product testing. However, Mikwang Machinery reached out in a difficult situation as there was no company readily willing to provide facilities, probably because domestic leading textile machinery companies had never experienced such facilities.

▲ Ryu Byung-sun, chairman of Youngdo Velvet​​​

Vice President Lee Seong-ryeol and Mikwang Machinery engineers conceived and put into practice the design for highly advanced product production, and eventually established the latest processing production line and produced this product within a year.

The opportunity came in 2008 when Youngdo Velvet was courting display companies to test Loving Four.

One spring day in 2008, then Minister of Knowledge Economy Lee Yun-ho visited Gumi and held an industry conference at Youngdo Velvet.

Vice President Lee Seong-ryeol said at this meeting, “We introduced the developed Loving Po, and all of these products were imported from Japan at high prices, which is adding to the cost burden of display makers as well as trade imbalance. I was in trouble,” he asked for help.

Minister Lee said, “I will actively help,” and said, “Wait for a few days,” and left the company. A few days later, I got a call from Kwon Yong-ho, then president of LG Display. With President Kwons decision to test the product, the Youngdo product passed the test of LG Display, and production began in earnest.

If the period from 2010 to 2012 was the period of product production and inspection, 2013 and this year led to mass production and mass delivery, and they are running towards the top.

Regarding the quality of the rubbing cloth, Lee Seong-ryeol, vice president, said, "The rubbing cloth of companies in developed countries such as Japan was commercialized using rayon and cotton materials, but due to the nature of the material, the contrast and resolution are poor." The combination of dyeing technology using acetate material is a factor that made the quality excellent,” he emphasized.

Currently, Youngdos Loving Cloth is evaluated to be of much better quality than products from developed countries in terms of contrast and high resolution. As such, Youngdo Velvets production of the highest quality Rubbing Cloth is a result of the combination of SK Chemicals technology and Youngdos ceaseless R&D efforts, so it is considered a representative example of win-win cooperation between large companies and SMEs.

We hope that Youngdo Velvets potential, which is embroidering the world market with its velvet fabrics, will once again conquer the world market with the production of Rubbing Cloth.

(Fashion Journal & Textile Life ⓒ World Textile Newspaper)​