Overseas Expansion for Small & Medium-Sized Businesses: A narrow but necessary path to open

As the importance of the environment grows, activated carbon fiber (ACF) is garnering wide attention. Activated carbon is a material made by burning biomass like charcoal, as well as a material made into fibers like cloth. Activated carbon is being spotlighted as a major filtering material, namely a filtration device that filters out harmful substances, due to its faster adsorption and desorption speed compared to other materials.
CT&S Co. Ltd., located in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do Province, the cradle of the domestic carbon industry, specializes in the production of activated carbon fiber water purifiers, a venture startup innovation procurement product. With ‘a world of clean water’ as our company mantra, we are producing and exporting filter products equipped with patented technology using activated carbon fiber. The strength of CT&S products is that they provide healthy water by capitalizing on the specific surface area characteristics of activated carbon fiber and the excellent adsorption capacity of well-developed micropore nano carbon. CEO Lee Gil-wan has underscored the cleanliness of washing and drinking water by using activated carbon fiber, which has the highest added value among carbon materials, while devoting special efforts in the manufacturing process and quality control.

The export consultation meeting has paved the way for the inaugural exports that CT&S had strived for. Starting with an order worth USD 15,000 from Russia in September 2018, the second order worth USD 47,000 was received in December, ushering in the foothold for exports that had been stalled so far.

Since November 2019, as overseas economies underwent contraction due to COVID-19 restrictions, cancellations in inquiries and orders from buyers ensued. Although we reached exports worth USD 100,000 in shower filter products to India, the nationwide lockdowns in India dashed our hopes for greater sales expansion as buyers' sales activities were severely disrupted. Due to COVID-19, exports of filter products belonging to the household consumer goods category plummeted, with volumes in Russia declining significantly, so the CT&S has faced with another ordeal. To make matters worse, the company faced a major crisis of suspending business with Russian buyers due to the war in Ukraine in February 2022, but CEO Lee Gil-wan did not give up.

If Offline Is Blocked, Go Online! tradeKorea Participation, 10-fold Growth

In 2021, when overseas-based local consultations were impossible due to COVID-19 restrictions, CT&S entered the Korea International Trade Association's tradeKorea market. tradeKorea's business matching service, that supports small and medium-sized domestic export companies entering the online global market, was the optimal choice for CT&S.

Since then, CT&S has concluded a deal with a Dubai buyer for USD 20,000 last year and USD 62,000 as of 2023, showing rapid growth with a 10-fold boost in transaction value compared to the initial period. After positive discussions with a Singaporean buyer who requested an online consultation through tradeKorea, we have received an initial order worth USD 40,000 after sample testing and are currently producing filter products, with the shipment scheduled to be completed in November.