Kukdo Chemical acquires Samsung SDI Anisotropic Conductive Film (ACF) business unit.
According to industry sources on the 20th, Samsung SDI is in talks with Kukdo Chemical to sell its ACF division, which is the core material in connecting display panels to electronic circuits. A final agreement is expected after the shareholders meeting next month. March 25 is the likely date of the deal. The industry expects the sale price to be around 20 billion won. The annual sales of Samsung SDI ACF division are around 15.0 billion won. Originally it was contacted by H&S High Tech Corp, which acquired LG Innotek's ACF division, but Kukdo Chemical jumped into the takeover bid, increasing the price.
Samsung SDI's ACF business is based on Cheil Industries' display materials. In the early 2000s, research and development (R & D) started at the Electronic Materials Research Center and the sales began in 2004. Once the sale of the ACF business is finalized, Samsung SDI will take its hands off its 15 years of full-fledged ACF business. The succession of employment is as of yet unknown. The ACF division is staffed by 40 people, including research and production personnel.
Samsung SDI is clearing its small-scale electronic materials and materials businesses. In October 2015, the chemical business division was sold to Lotte High Tech. In 2016, it attempted to sell its polarizer business to Sumitomo Chemical of Japan but failed. It is the analysis of industry officials that Vice President Jang Hyuk of electronic materials business would be able to clear additional non-core electronic materials business this year. Samsung SDI has businesses such as polarizers, ACF light guide plates, prism sheets, and color resists (CR).
Kukdo Chemical, a company acquiring Samsung SDI ACF business, was established in 1972. Epoxy, polyol, and a curing agent are the main products. The company also handles epoxy resins for electric and electronic use and copper clad laminates (CCL). It has attempted to enter the ACF market in the early 2010s and was known to supply the material to household appliances. It seems that the company has decided to acquire the ACF business in order to expand its market because the ACF has a wide variety of application possibilities such as smartphones, tablets, and automobiles.
An industry observer said, "The sales volume is too small and difficult to expand for Samsung SDI to lead the ACF business directly. The entry to high value-added electronic materials by a traditional petrochemical company is a natural phenomenon, and ACF is also a kind of tackifier and adhesive, meaning that there is also the possibility of entering into the related industries through this. "
The global ACF market is around 300 billion won, but the tackifier & adhesive market is worth 70 trillion won. Of these, the market for industrial tackifier and adhesive containing electronic materials is estimated to be 14 trillion won (20%).