DuPont’s new PI plant in Cheonan to bolster flexible display biz

US-based DuPont Electronics & Imaging has added a new plant just for manufacturing polyimide (PI) at South Korea’s Foreign Investment Zone in Cheongan, the company said on Sept. 18. Operations began following the completion of the facilities in June, DuPont added.

The move is expected to give DuPont a bigger boost in the flexible display market, industry watchers said. Due to its excellent resilience and elasticity, PI is being cited as the next generation form factor to replace the more rigid glass, which is currently used in most PCBs. The PI produced from DuPont’s new Cheonan plant will be used for flexible OLED displays.

DuPont declined to single out any clients that caused it to expand its PI facilities, but some market sources say that the firm may be out to take a slice as Samsung has been diversifying its supply portfolio.

Adding to such speculation, Samsung Display’s Asan A3·A4 plants are in the vicinity. They produce smartphone OLED panels, including displays including flexible OLED screens for Apple’s iPhones.

Samsung Display is currently receiving all of its liquid PI from SU Materials, which is a JV it formed with Japan’s Ube Industries. If it begins to be supplied by DuPont, it would be the Samsung unit’s first deal with a company outside of SU Materials for PI.

The Elec is South Korea’s No.1 tech news platform.