ABSTRACT
Lying immediately downstream of the petrochemical industry are several light industries which convert bulk petrochemicals into intermediate or even final products. One such industry converts plastics and resins into fibres, which then compete with natural fibres in all their uses. Two of the most important synthetic fibres are nylon and polyester, with whose conversion this chapter is concerned. The objective is to explore the adoption, absorption and diffusion of imported technology in nylon and polyester production and to reveal the sources of technical change. As in the preceding chapter, so in this chapter one company’s experience will be analysed: this section provides a brief history of that company. Subsequent sections will cover the technology of nylon manufacture and its adoption and absorption by the company, followed by the technology of polyester manufacture and its adoption and absorption. The company’s recent developments in synthetic fibres will then be described, and the diffusion of the technology into the rest of the Korean economy and abroad will be plotted. The final section will summarise what we have learned, adding observations from other companies in the industry.
