Doosan : “Smart Factory Construction Support” Project to Strengthen its Suppliers’ Competitiveness

- Supporting the use of collaborative robots to increase productivity by innovating manufacturing, performing simple or dangerous tasks

Doosan Corporation will engage in collaborative cooperation with suppliers to enhance their competitiveness this year.

The company announced on Sept. 27 that it had signed an MOU for the Smart Factory Construction Support Project with its suppliers at Doosan Tower in Dongdaemun, Seoul, on Sept. 26.

At the event, Park Young-ho, vice president of Doosan Corporation; Kang Myung-soo, head of the Public Works Division of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI); Lee Jin-hwan, managing vice president of the Korea Productivity Center; and Kim Yeo-tae, CEO of Taijin Electronics, one of Doosan's suppliers, were all in attendance.

Doosan Corporation initiated the Smart Factory Construction Support Project to support its suppliers in introducing collaborative robots in their factories to increase workplace safety and productivity by having the robots perform simple repetitive or dangerous tasks. Doosan Corporation will manage the project, and the Korea Productivity Center and KCCI will be responsible for selecting suppliers, reviewing project feasibility, and inspecting the project's progress.

Unlike general industrial robots, collaborative robots are small and light and equipped with safety features to work together with human workers in the same space without a safety fence in place. Moreover, they can increase work specialization through precision control. New Star Precision, a supplier that received support for collaborative robots in 2020, has increased productivity by about 22% and reduced its defect rate by about 20%.

CEO Kim Yeo-tae at Taijin Electronics, which was selected as the recipient of the support this year, said, "We are honored to seize a great opportunity to convert to a smart factory from Doosan Corporation and the government. I expect it will serve as a significant boost in our bid to improve productivity in a safer working environment."

A Doosan Corporation official added, "We will establish various collaborative cooperation measures and continue to provide support, including the Smart Factory Support Project, for enhancing our competitiveness and improving the working environment of our suppliers."

Doosan Corporation has already invested approximately KRW 2 billion from 2019 to 2021 to build a manufacturing execution system (MES) and product lifecycle management system (PLM), while supporting efficient production process management for 18 suppliers.

▲Park Young-ho, vice president of Doosan Corporation (second from left); Kang Myung-soo, head of the Public Works Division of KCCI (third from left); Lee Jin-hwan, managing vice president of the Korea Productivity Center (fourth from left); and Kim Yeo-tae, CEO of Taijin Electronics, one of Doosan's suppliers, pose for a commemorative photo after the MOU signing ceremony held at Doosan Tower in Dongdaemun, Seoul on Sept. 26.