S. Korea vs. China - Is Korean Microfiber Better?

S. Korea vs Chinese Microfiber

We are here to tell you, that is FALSE!

The myth comes from a history where it used to be true. So there is Some Truth to the Myth.

If we go back 20 years, to the late 90’s, almost all microfiber cleaning material was made in South Korean factories.

This was before the Chinese Manufacturing tidal-wave overtook the world, so there were few, if any, Chinese manufacturers of microfiber.

In in the early 2000’s Korean factories began to outsource the cut & sew portion of the manufacturing process, to take advantage of the cheap labor from the developing Chinese manufacturing sector.

At first Korean Microfiber factory would weave, dye and split the fabric, and would send it to China to be “cut & sewn” and packaged by the cheaper labor.

Over the next few years the Chinese textile manufacturing sector continued to grow and develop. First, they began purchasing the equipment to weave and knit the fabric from the raw microfiber yarn. Dye houses (this is where the filaments are “split”) were brought online and into the Chinese textile manufacturing sector. Eventually many yarn manufacturers moved their production the the Chinese mainland.

As the Chinese factories learned all the aspects of manufacturing microfiber textiles there were setbacks and mistakes.

There were unscrupulous “trading companies” acting like factories (these still exist today) and deceiving customers in the US and Europe.

Because of the uncertainty created by the lack of consistency and quality coming from China, relative to their more experienced South Korean counterparts, some American marketing companies capitalized on the poor Chinese manufacturing reputation and used it as a proxy for quality.

Fortunate for us, we had already been in the Microfiber business for many years.

We were familiar with the manufacturing process, we knew how to evaluate the quality of the products, and we knew how to communicate our customers needs (through the language and culture divide) to make the requisite changes to the products.

Honestly, for the first few years of producing microfiber in China we went through dozens of manufacturing partners to find the right ones, to help us create the best microfiber products on the Planet.

We have switched dye houses as environmental and quality requirements have changed. We use multiple yarn suppliers, who we choose based on product design, who have changed over the years. We have added new machines and technology to upgrade our ability to implement our designs.

Our manufacturing supply chain is an ever changing and evolving system which we are constantly upgrading.

We have been working with our most important Chinese Microfiber Factories for over 15 years. We have helped train, and educate them on how to make the best microfiber for detailing possible.

We are constantly trying to push them forward to make products that fit the needs of American (and International) detailers.

The Simple Truth

The bottom line is that there are good factories in China and South Korea. There are bad ones in both countries, too. Just like anywhere else in the world. Microfiber made in South Korea is more expensive because the labor is more costly.

Our top of the line China Microfiber products, such as our microfiber cleaning rags, are on par with our premium Korean Products.

Autofiber is committed to using the best manufacturers and suppliers from all over Asia (and the World) to design and build world class detailing towels and tools.