ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with synthetic fibres are nylon and polyester. It explores the adoption, absorption and diffusion of imported technology in nylon and polyester production and to reveal the sources of technical change. The company whose experience will be reported is the Kolon Company Limited, a private company with fairly widely distributed shareholdings. In 1960, Kolon expanded its nylon-stretching capacity, adding two ‘Primatex’ machines with 480 spindles each. The production of nylon fibres requires three operations in series: polymerisation, spinning and drawing or stretching. The caprolactam is melted in a heated vessel, catalysts, diluting agents and light stabilising materials are fed in proper proportions. The process of absorption of nylon technology can be observed at Kolon moving from almost complete dependence on foreign assistance at the beginning to independence at the end. The process began in 1960, after Kolon had decided to integrate backwards into nylon polymerisation and had raised the capital needed to build the first production line.
