KBI Dongguk Industrial, an automotive parts manufacturer, announced on the 15th that it will supply eco-friendly crash pads that allow materials to be separated and recycled from end-of-life vehicles to Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) and Kia (000270.KS).
Conventional crash pads bonded skin materials and plastics using standard adhesive. Even after the product reached the end of its lifespan, the two materials could not be separated, making plastic recycling impossible.
The spray hot melt process jointly developed by KBI Dongguk Industrial with Hyundai Motor and Kia has solved this problem. The method uniformly sprays thermoplastic POR (reactive polyolefin) hot melt in spray form to bond the skin material and plastic.
The key to the process is the POR hot melt adhesive. It has the property of melting and bonding when heat is applied, then separating again under specific conditions. This enables clean separation of skin material and plastic at the time of vehicle disposal, allowing high-purity recycling of the plastic. The company explained that spraying the adhesive uniformly improves quality while simplifying the process to secure cost competitiveness.
KBI Dongguk Industrial will supply the eco-friendly crash pads starting with Hyundai Motor and Kia's new vehicles in the second half of 2026. Having established mass production systems at its Ulsan plant, the company plans to gradually expand application to all Kia vehicle models. Hyundai Motor and Kia are also expected to benefit from meeting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards and stabilizing parts quality.
"This crash pad supply using the new spray hot melt process is an example of achieving both sustainability and profitability," said Kim Yong-hee, CEO of KBI Dongguk Industrial. "Going beyond partnerships with domestic customers, we will grow into a company that leads the global eco-friendly automotive parts market."
