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News KEC supplies AEC-Q certified products to US electric vehicle company

KEC is recognized for its technology and quality by leading domestic and foreign electric vehicle manufacturers. It proved outstanding quality once again with its product mass-produced and applied to electric vehicle manufacturers in the United States. KEC started supplying the products as an OEM of Korea's largest electronic component manufacturer.The company is a US-based electric vehicle manufacturing and technology firm, currently focused on researching and producing SUVs and pickup trucks. Based on investments from the largest online firm in the US in the second half of 2020, it is accelerating electronic vehicles R&D, as releasing the EV van for delivery. ISO7637-2 standard (certification standard of surge for electric apparatus) qualified, KEC products are applied to protect important electronic apparatus from overvoltage and overcurrent flowing in and to give high reliability and stable power for electric vehicles.This electric vehicle is expected to start mass production in June 2021 and rapidly increase production for the following five years at a minimum.KEC has been investing heavily in R&D to launch strategic new products such as IGBT, Gate Driver IC, and LV MOSFET targeting the global automobile market. With the adoption and supply to the electric vehicle this time, the company is expanding the market scope and corporate value to specialize in power semiconductors for automobiles.

2021-12-21
News KEC, invests 20 billion won to take the 'Second Leap'

 Celebrating the 52nd anniversary of the founding, KEC announced a resolution for joint labor-management practice for sustainable development  KEC, the first company to move into the Gumi National Industrial Complex, is drawing attention by taking a second leap forward, including a new investment of 20 billion won KEC executives and employees, including CEO Kim Hak-nam and union leader Lee Joon-han held a signing ceremony for a resolution for joint labor-management practice at the Gumi Plant on the 22nd, and declared their will to achieve 'KEC Group's Vision 2025' by harmonizing labor and management and actively promoting it. KEC's declaration of execution for this second leap comes from the 'Vision 2025', which contains core values such as a leap forward as a future-oriented global power semiconductor company in the automotive industry, announced by KEC Group two years ago to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. This resolution includes contents such as ▷new investment of 20 billion won and review of additional investment in production facilities for continuous development and job stability of the Gumi Plant ▷ active cooperation in preparing for the future and strengthening competitiveness through labor-management harmony.  KEC, a non-memory integrated semiconductor company, is currently implementing a comprehensive growth strategy from R&D to distribution in order to grow into a global power semiconductor company under KEC Group's 'Vision 2025' Currently, KEC possesses technology for improving the efficiency of inverters for driving motors, which are the core of power semiconductors, and manufacturing technology for power semiconductors of key elements constituting the inverters. KEC, which moved into the Gumi Industrial Complex in 1969, had annual sales of 450 billion won before 2000 and had a maximum of 3,000 employees, and yet suffered from severe difficulties in management that it declared emergency 10 years ago, and has recently maintained annual sales of 220 billion won and 650 employees. 

2021-10-22
News KEC supplies five products, including IGBT, to global electric vehicle manufacturers

KEC supplies five products, including IGBT, to global electric vehicle manufacturers…  Accelerating the expansion of the electric vehicle market  KEC, a company specializing in power semiconductors, announced that it has begun to supply a total of five types of products, including new IGBT and small signal discrete, to global electric vehicle manufacturers, and this supply will serve as an important stepping stone for the expansion of the electric vehicle market while the KEC products are consistently selected by it. Power semiconductors are key components that are widely applied to a variety of uses ranging from home appliances, smartphones, industrial motors, and automobiles, and as the market for eco-friendly products such as electric vehicles and solar power generation has recently grown, the demand for power semiconductors is also increasing explosively. The IGBT, the core of the power semiconductor, is a semiconductor device for power supplies that control current by gate voltage, and plays a role in reducing power loss and improving performance. The IGBT combines the advantages of a MOSFET structure that embodies high switching speed at low power and a bipolar transistor capable of high voltage output, enabling relatively fast switching even in high voltage and high current environments of 600V or higher. Especially, in the case of electric vehicles where energy efficiency is the most important, IGBT plays a crucial role in increasing performance while reducing power loss.The new IGBT supplied by KEC is applied to the Battery Disconnect Unit (hereinafter BDU), which is one of the main components of the electric vehicle battery system. The BDU is installed between the power source of the electric vehicle battery pack and the internal circuit to connect or cut off the power, and is a crucial part to protect the vehicle by supporting the steady supply of battery power.This KEC's new IGBT model, KGF30N120KA, has a 1200V and 30A current rating with the trench field stop process applied, and has acquired AEC-Q certification, a reliability evaluation standard for electronic components, by enhancing durability and stability. Furthermore, this product will be provided in the industry standard TO-247 package, and in line with the trend of the SET space efficiency and miniaturization trend, it will also be offered in a D2PAK package.Park Nam-gyu, CEO of KEC, said “KEC products are consistently selected and applied to major parts of electric vehicles thanks to their high reliability. We plan to continuously expand our base in the global electric vehicle market using this application to new car parts as a stepping stone.”

2021-09-13
News KEC supplies low-voltage MOSFETs to leading LCD manufacturers in Korea

KEC supplies low-voltage MOSFETs to leading LCD manufacturers in KoreaKEC, a company specializing in power semiconductors, said that it is supplying low voltage MOSFETs to leading LCD manufacturers in Korea, and that it is scheduled to supply them by 2023, starting with the second half of 2020.The low-voltage MOSFETs being supplied are applied to the timing controller board (hereafter T-CON board) parts that are mounted on the LCD of all-in-one PCs of global brand manufacturers. The T-CON board is a device that converts input image data into signals required by DDI (Display Driver IC), and is a key part that helps realize smooth synchronization by precisely controlling high-speed modulation of LCD pixels and backlight LEDs. In addition to the low-voltage MOSFETs for the T-CON board, KEC is in the process of mass-producing five components including a switching diode and a schottky barrier diode.This KEC's low voltage MOSFET is a 100V product to which KEC's trench technology is applied, and it is specialized for LED lighting applications where a diode for ESD protection is built in the gate for static electricity protection. Moreover, even with a logic level (5V) driving voltage, the MOSFET performance can be sufficiently realized. This product is the first series of 100V MOSFETs applied to the SOT-23 package, and various package series are provided with the same chip. The small-signal products supplied with it are also specialized for low-voltage battery systems by boasting their performance even with a low driving voltage.Park Nam-gyu, CEO of KEC Business Headquarters, expressed confidence in the quality, saying “The low-voltage MOSFET products being supplied are applied to the world's highest quality LCD products. KEC pursues high quality standards and product reliability. As a result, global electronics manufacturers in Korea with stringent quality standards have been working with KEC for a long time.”

2021-08-30
News KEC's Mid-to-Long-Term Vision and Strategic Business Intensively Promoted, Leading to Strong Performance

◇ According to the first quarter results announcement, sales reached 60.7 billion Korean won, the highest record since the fourth quarter of 2017.◇ As the application area is expanded to automobiles, industrial equipment, and new home appliances, earnings are expected to be good in the second quarter as well.“To become a 100-year company beyond half a century of growth.” KEC, a company specializing in non-memory power semiconductors, announced that it has recently started to generate profits by implementing a growth-oriented management strategy and intensively promoting strategic businesses since 2020. According to KEC officials, famous domestic and foreign automakers, industrial equipment and home appliance manufacturers have recently approved and started mass production of KEC products, accelerating the expansion of the future electronic semiconductor and industrial power semiconductor markets.The performance of the past year was reflected in the 1Q results announced by KEC on the 17th. Based on K-IFRS consolidated financial statements, sales reached KRW 60.7 billion, operating profit KRW 2.7 billion, and net income recorded KRW 16.4 billion, and sales increased 32% compared to the same period last year, achieving the highest sales in 3 years and 6 months.According to KEC officials, small-signal TRs and diodes, which have been firmly positioned as major sources of sales for the past 50 years, are expanding to electronic components, while a number of IGBTs and Super-Junction MOSFET products among the Power Discrete known as a strategic business achieved design-wins by domestic and overseas famous industrial equipment and home appliance manufacturers, and the sales of products that are expected to grow in the mid- to long-term are in full swing.KEC revealed that the production system has been operating at full capacity since the end of last year to respond to the customer's demands, and as the domestic and overseas industrial economy, which was stagnant due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is slowly recovering, the demand for power semiconductors in the industrial equipment and home appliance markets is exploding. The electronic semiconductor market is also expected to see strong sales growth in 2Q and 2H as new demand for products is increasing this year due to standby demand and the launch of new cars mainly for EV vehicles. In addition, due to the global semiconductor supply shortage, profitability improved as the system changed to a profit-oriented Allocation supply conversion system, which is expected to lead to significant sales profits.KEC's CEO Nam-gyu Park said, “After the announcement of Vision 2025, KEC is enhancing product competitiveness by reinforcing product portfolios, starting strategic collaboration with global distributors, and reinforcing sales channels. Since Arrow Electronics, the world's largest electronic component manufacturer, which is currently pursuing collaboration with us, is a strong player in China, it is expected that KEC's market share in China will expand rapidly.” and added, “KEC is also reinforcing its strategy to actively expand the Chinese energy market by hiring local experts in China, RMD (Regional Marketing Director). We plan to continuously increase sales and profitability by improving competitiveness through improved product performance, innovating distribution channels, strongly promoting regional technology professionals, and expanding the capacity of domestic and overseas manufacturing supply.”

2021-05-18
News KEC Launches New Website

KEC (CEO Haknam Kim and CEO Namkyu Park) announced that they have renewed the KEC official website (www.keccorp.com) According to KEC, the revamped website has been configured to make it easier to check and search KEC's diverse product portfolio, and with this renewal, the official domain of the KEC website has been changed from kec.co.kr to keccorp.com. The reorganized KEC website has been developed as a responsive web, allowing access to an optimized UI from mobile phones and tablets.KEC is striving to increase its over its overseas market share starting with signing an agreement with Arrow, the largest global distribution company in early April this year. The renewed website supports not only Korean, but also English, Japanese, and Chinese, and strengthens the product search function so that overseas customers can easily check product information that KEC offers. Additionally, it is designed to provide shareholders and investors a sense of trust by embodying KEC's vision and corporate philosophy.Nam-gyu Park, CEO of KEC, said, “This website renewal aimed at allowing overseas customers to conveniently access KEC's product information. This will serve as a foothold to raise brand awareness in the domestic as well as overseas markets.”KEC is actively cooperating with global home appliance and automobile manufacturers, and has developed a competitive product portfolio. Furthermore, it is promoting to strengthen its portfolio to prepare for the business areas of the future such as electric vehicles, 5G networks/servers, new and renewable energy, and wearable IoT, and is accelerating its global market penetration.

2021-04-16
News KEC to sign a Distribution Agreement with Arrow, the World’s Largest Electronic Parts Distributor

KEC (KEC, CEO Nam-gyu Park, CEO Hak-nam Kim) announced on April 6 that it has signed a distribution contract with Arrow Asia Pacific (hereinafter referred to Arrow Asia), the world's largest electronic component and IT solution distributor.Arrow Asia has 70 distribution channels in 13 countries across Asia and is leading global distributor supplying electronic components such as semi-conductors, passive components, electronic components and connectors to more than 18,000 manufacturers and customers. KEC's CEO Nam-gyu Park said, “Through this contract with Arrow Asia which is global top distributor, we are expecting rapid growth in market share in Asia including China. Also  he said “Arrow Asia has strong customer base in the Automotive, industrial and consumer markets across Asia and Oceania. KEC has broad product portfolio to target these market, so synergy effect will be great.”.Yang-Bae Seo, regional director of Arrow Korea mentioned, “The contract is significant since KEC is the first Korean semiconductor maker to sign a global contract with Arrow Korea. KEC has capacities of designing and producing power semiconductors and is equipped with a competitive product portfolio and quality. We will closely cooperate with KEC based on our wide customer coverage and we believe that the business of both companies will grow to another level.”The contract made it possible for KEC to secure excellent technical sales force in the overseas market for achieving the company’s Vision 2025. Arrow Asia will start promoting and selling KEC products to the entire APAC region countries including China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and India.  

2021-04-08
News KEC, Releases New LDO Voltage Regulator for Automobiles

KEC (CEO, Hwang Changseop) announced that it has launched the new KIC3244F00 series of automotive LDO (Low Drop Out) voltage regulators.The LDO voltage regulator is a power semiconductor that supplies the irregular power signal of automobile as stable signals. The new product provides an adjustable output voltage from 1.2V to 5.0V depending on the circumstances, and is optimized for automotive infotainment systems and can be applied to car audio and navigation systems.The product is applicable to small ceramic capacitors instead of the conventional large electrolytic capacitors, reducing the PCB design area, and is equipped with various circuit protection functions such as OTP (Over Temperature Protection) and OCP (Over Current Protection). In addition, it acquired the AEC-Q100 certification, an automobile electronic certification standard, and is available to be used for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System), a core technology for autonomous driving.The product will be installed on new vehicles of Russia's largest automakers upon release, and in addition to the new LDO product, 16 other KEC products will be supplied and installed in the vehicles.After the announcement of the mid- to long-term plan, ‘Vision 2025,’ KEC has been committed to develop, release and solutionize new power semiconductor products endeavoring to achieve its goals for various markets and customers including automotive electronics, home appliances, 5G industry and new renewable energy.

2020-11-24
News KEC, Launches Korea’s First 3-Phase 600V Gate Driver IC Solution with Bootstrap Diode

◇ Advanced into a power semiconductor solution company with the launch of the Gate Driver IC ◇ Reinforced technological competitiveness through new strategic IC products since the declaration of the Vision 2025◇ Accomplishments through cooperation in new product planning with a leading domestic home appliance manufacturer and plans to advance into the overseas market KEC (CEO Hwang, Changseop) announced the launch of the Gate Driver IC and IGBT solution equipped with Bootstrap Diode (hereafter BSD) for the first time in Korea. Major domestic home appliance companies have used specific foreign-made semiconductors for Gate Driver ICs. However, KEC proposed a solution satisfying the requirements for a new refrigerator model of a leading domestic home appliance company which even leading overseas semiconductor companies were not able to meet.Home appliance manufacturers will be able to reduce the circuit size while reducing the cost of the product by using BSD built-in gate driver IC. KEC proved the quality and characteristics of the BSD built-in gate driver IC, and proposed an external TSD (Thermal Shut Down) circuit and an appropriate IGBT without NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient of Resistance). Such an integrated solution product enabled the localization of power semiconductors, fairly demonstrating the technological prowess in competition with advanced foreign semiconductor companies. Furthermore, KEC is also able to expect the expansion of its business to the global market using gate driver ICs.Nam-Kyu Park, KEC’s General Manager, mentioned, that “The gate driver IC to be released constitutes a lineup that can operate IGBT and MOSFET with a threshold voltage of 12V to 20V per channel. In addition, there are various built-in protection functions such as an overcurrent protection circuit, a dead time function, and a cross-conduction protection minimizing switching losses. In particular, an independent low-voltage lockout (UVLO) function for the bottom power supply and a gate signal transmission delay matching function for all channels are built in. Therefore, the products with the gate driver IC will have stably driven motors that enable the maintenance of excellent robustness and stability.”The IGBT to be supplied as a solution along with the new gate driver IC is a 650V/5A product, mounted in a DPAK package, and can control over 2kV of Electro Static Discharge (ESD). A KEC official said that target for the demand for the two new products from partner home appliance companies is more than 30 million units for approximately five years for the new refrigerator models. The home appliance market is another major market KEC is targeting along with the automotive electronics market. According to the market research firm Market Insights, the global home appliance market is expected to reach $430 billion (approximately 462 trillion won) with an annual average growth rate (CAGR) of 8% from 2021 to 2023. This is expected to have a positive effect on the semiconductor industry as well.KEC said, “We expect the power semiconductor field to continue to grow in line with the increasing demand for semiconductors in the renewable energy sector such as electric vehicles and solar power as well as the global home appliance market,” further stating, “We will actively advance into the overseas market by extending our portfolio of new products with global competitiveness.”

2020-11-02
News KEC, Holds Web Seminar on the ‘Characteristics of IGBT & MOSFET not to overlook in designing SET’

KEC is holding a non face-to-face technology seminar on 11 a.m. Wednesday, October 21. KEC has been hosting technology seminars on the characteristics of each semiconductor device for several years, inviting SET developers and designers from partner companies on a regular basis. Starting from 3Q 2020, the seminars will be held online in the form of Webinars due to the COVID-19 breakout.  Through the Webinar, KEC is planning to share the knowhow on selecting the most appropriate IGBT and MOSFET products for the SET when designing SETs for automotive parts, home appliances or motor control products as well as the basic characteristics of IGBT and MOSFET, and to provide support for partner company engineers to develop more efficiently using KEC products. KEC believes that the Webinar will be helpful not only for partner company officials but also for those interested in or need to learn about semiconductors. KEC officials remarked, “KEC will facilitate online technical support and promotional activities to satisfy the rapidly changing needs of the customers and conduct customer-friendlier marketing strategies. KEC primarily developed and sold small-signal products in the past, but the transformed KEC expanded its portfolio to include automotive electronics and power semiconductors and will secure the best R&D and marketing experts in the industry to utilize the technologies to constantly develop new products to the customers,” adding, “Many engineers from domestic home appliances companies and automobile manufacturers applied for participation already.” You can participate in the KEC Webinar by applying at the KEC website (www.keccorp.com).

2020-10-20
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