Doosan Corporation has established a production base to proactively respond to diverse customer demands such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, and automotive electronic components.
On the 12th, Doosan Corporation will hold a ceremony to commemorate the completion of a high-end FCCL (flexible copper clad laminate) factory with a building area of 13,000㎡ (approximately 3,930 pyeong) on an 82,211㎡ (about 24,860 pyeong) site within the Jipyeongseon Industrial Complex in Gimje City, Jeollabuk-do Special Autonomous Province.
About 100 officials will attend the completion ceremony, including Kim Kwan-young, Governor of Jeollabuk-do Special Autonomous Province; Jeong Seong-ju, Mayor of Gimje; Seo Baek-hyun, Chairman of Gimje City Council; Lee Seung-ryeol, Director of Industrial Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; and Doosan Corporation’s Presidents Moon Hong-seong and Yoo Seung-woo.
FCCL is a thin and flexible copper clad laminate that serves as a core material for flexible printed circuit boards (FPCB) used in advanced electronic products such as AI, 5G, and smartphones. Recently, smart devices have diversified into foldable, rollable, and wearable forms with folds or curves, and as the trend toward miniaturization and lightweight continues, the importance of FCCL is also increasing.
FCCL is largely divided into lamination and casting types depending on the manufacturing method. The lamination type is manufactured by bonding copper foil and polyimide (PI) film under heat and pressure, offering high adhesion and heat resistance.
The casting type FCCL produced at the newly completed Gimje factory is made by repeatedly coating and drying polyimide (PI) resin on copper foil. Although the manufacturing process is technically more challenging because it requires developing the PI resin that serves the role of the PI film in the lamination type, it enables the production of high-end products with low signal loss and high flexibility.
Having secured both manufacturing methods, Doosan Corporation will be able to meet diverse customer demands more quickly. According to market research firm Omdia, foldable phone sales are expected to grow more than fivefold from about 13 million units in 2023 to approximately 69 million units in 2028. Accordingly, Doosan plans to gradually expand FCCL production at the Gimje factory in line with market demand.
The Gimje factory is a facility where Doosan Corporation has paid special attention not only to improvements based on its existing factory operation experience but also to environmental and safety aspects. From the design stage, it incorporated ▲ establishment of a digital transformation foundation for manufacturing sites ▲ optimization of mass production including equipment automation and OT security ▲ implementation of autonomous processes based on AI algorithms for predictive management, aiming to improve productivity, workforce efficiency, cost reduction, and defect rate reduction. The system will be further advanced step by step in the future.
In addition, the Gimje factory has introduced a state-of-the-art operational technology (OT) security system in collaboration with Doosan Digital Innovation. OT security protects key production infrastructure, data, and manufacturing processes from external cyber threats, enabling stable factory operation by isolating the network if a threat occurs in critical equipment.
Moreover, Doosan newly established an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that integrally links and manages business processes such as production, logistics, finance, and accounting, as well as a manufacturing execution system (MES) that integrates and manages everything from production planning to work orders, materials, and equipment management, maximizing manufacturing process efficiency.
Yoo Seung-woo, President of Doosan Corporation, said, "Leveraging the company’s know-how and experience accumulated over many years in the CCL business, we are the first in the world to secure both FCCL manufacturing methods, which raises expectations for strengthening business competitiveness and growth. We will optimize the factory and establish the business early to proactively respond to the changing market." He added, "We will actively pursue securing global new customers, continuously expanding business areas into promising industries, and strengthening on-site competitiveness to respond to mid- to long-term volume."
Doosan Corporation plans to further strengthen coexistence with the Gimje community through additional direct and indirect investments, local employment creation, and community-linked social contribution activities.
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