KCC Glass develops highly safe bus flooring
Outperforms global competitors' products on safety-related criteria
KCC Glass received the IR52 Jang Yeong-sil Award for its highly safe bus flooring 'Sensetone' at the IR52 Jang Yeong-sil Award ceremony held on July 10 at the Novotel Ambassador Seoul Gangnam in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul.
KCC Glass's Sensetone, selected as an award-winning product, is a functional bus floor finishing material that helps passengers use buses safely. As 'safety' has recently become one of the biggest issues in the automotive flooring market, related products are drawing considerable attention.
In particular, buses—which carry large numbers of passengers—can lead to serious casualties in the event of a safety incident such as a fire or a passenger falling. Sensetone was recognized as a 'highly safe bus flooring' capable of addressing these very issues, earning it the IR52 Jang Yeong-sil Award.
Product performance evaluations found that Sensetone outperformed even global competitors' products in all safety-related categories, including non-slip performance, flame retardancy, volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, and exhaust gas emissions (weight reduction). In particular, a special ultraviolet (UV) coating process technology was applied to the flooring surface to ensure passenger walking safety through high surface friction (non-slip performance). Because it does not slip easily, it can prevent falling accidents when passengers are moving.
In addition, flame-spread suppression blending technology was applied to obtain Europe's strict fire safety certification (ECE), while an eco-friendly raw material blending technology with low VOC emissions was also applied to improve the indoor air quality of buses. The product is also lightweight, reducing vehicle weight and thereby offering the potential for improved fuel efficiency and a corresponding reduction in exhaust gas emissions.
Meanwhile, the IR52 Jang Yeong-sil Award—hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and organized by the Korea Industrial Technology Association—is presented to the technology development personnel of domestic companies and research institutes that have led industrial technology innovation by developing and commercializing outstanding new technologies and products. Named after Jang Yeong-sil, the greatest scientist of the Joseon Dynasty, the award recognizes and honors the research achievements and efforts of Korean companies.
A KCC Glass official said, "This Jang Yeong-sil Award is highly significant in that, through the localization of technology in the domestic bus flooring market—which had been dominated by an oligopoly of foreign imports—we have been able to contribute to enhancing public safety, as well as establishing a bridgehead for entering the global market," adding, "We plan to apply this safe flooring development technology to KCC Glass's residential flooring product 'Soop' as well, introducing safer and more eco-friendly products to our customers."