■ SK Geo Centric and Hanjin Transportation Co., Ltd. signed an MOU on October 18 to cooperate in the provision and expansion of lightweight materials for vehicles

■ Both companies agreed on the application of the high-functional composite material, “UD tape,” to cargo boxes for package delivery trucks to make them lighter, improve mileage, and reduce carbon emission

■ CEO of SK Geo Centric Na Kyung-Soo: “There will be continued efforts for the development and application of lightweight materials”

SK Geo Centric cooperates with Hanjin Transportation Co., Ltd. (hereafter Hanjin) to expand the application of lightweight materials for commercial vehicles, including package delivery trucks. The goal of this cooperation is to improve fuel efficiency by making package delivery trucks lighter, and thereby contributing to carbon emissions reduction.

On October 18 (local time), SK Geo Centric and Hanjin announced that they signed an MOU at the SK Building located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, for the application of eco-friendly materials and mutual cooperation. The MOU signing ceremony was attended by executives from both companies, including SK Geo Centric CEO Na Kyung-Soo, President/CEO of Hanjin Transportation Noh Sam-sug, and Hanjin’s Head of Future Growth Strategy and Marketing Cho Hyun-min.

This MOU is a development of the test both companies conducted in three months since last May. During the test, SK Geo Centric applied new cargo boxes built with the company’s high-functional composite material, uni-directional tape (UD tape), to the carrier trucks of Hanjin Express. The two companies found it possible to enhance mileage and reduce carbon emissions through lightweight materials and decided to expand use of the materials.

The UD tape is a high-functional composite material with plastic structures reinforced with fiber-type agent. This reinforcing agent plays the role of steel beams in a steel-concrete building, maximizing the rigidity of the base material. With relatively higher contents (more than 60%) of the reinforcing agent than the other materials, the UD tape is considered to be the lightweight material that can replace metallic materials.

Two refrigerated box trucks adopted UD-taped cargo boxes rather than common aluminum boxes and lightened the weight by 10%, which is about 40 kg. Accordingly, the mileage was improved by 1-3%, suggesting a meaningful reduction of fuel consumption and carbon emission, given that the carrier trucks have to drive long distances over a long time.

SK Geo Centric had conducted the same test with other logistics company, HanExpress, using the company’s general purpose carrier trucks. They also confirmed the potentials of the same effect regarding the use of UD tapes and signed an MOU for the expansion of its application last month.

SK Geo Centric CEO Na Kyung-Soo said, “Through the cooperation with companies that are excellent in their fields, we are able to gain new opportunities to broaden eco-friendly projects.” “We will continuously strive for further development and application of lightweight materials for vehicles.”

An officer from Hanjin said, “Taking advantage as a logistics company, we are going to keep finding new ways to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Also, we will be cooperating with more companies to cope with pollution and climate change preemptively, and foster our competitiveness as an eco-friendly logistics company.”

[Photo]

(Photo 1) From left: Hanjin Transport CEO Noh Sam-sug, Hanjin General Director of Future Growth Strategy and Marketing Cho Hyun-min, and SK Geo Centric Na Kyung-soo take a commemorative photo at the MOU signing ceremony held at SK Seorin Building, Seoul, South Korea on October 18 (KST)

(Photo 2) Third from left, in ordert: Hanjin Transport CEO Noh Sam-sug, Hanjin General Director of Future Growth Strategy and Marketing Cho Hyun-min, SK Geo Centric Na Kyung-soo, and other representatives of both companies take a group photo at the MOU signing ceremony held at SK Seorin Building, Seoul, South Korea on October 18 (KST)