Cutting and Welding Instead of Humans... Robots as the Savior of the Serious Accident Punishment Act [Unmanned Era⑤]

Industrial Robots Enhancing On-Site Safety
Robots in Furniture Material Manufacturing Automatically Cut and Clean Wood
Seam Welding for Chairs Done Efficiently, Improving Productivity and Quality Simultaneously
Metal Chemical Polishing Process Replaced by Robots Previously Done by Workers in Protective Gear, Ensuring Safety
Heavy Material Transport and Packaging Made Easier, Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Employees

A robot is welding the lower part of an office chair at the Koas Paju factory.
[Photo by Koas]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] These days, worker safety is as important as productivity in industrial sites. This has become even more critical since the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. One solution that has somewhat addressed these concerns is the use of ‘industrial robots.’ Robots are deployed to handle hazardous tasks such as dealing with chemicals, injection molding, cutting, and welding, as well as simple and repetitive but strenuous work, thereby increasing productivity and reducing accident risks.

Coas, a furniture manufacturer with sales of around 100 billion KRW, employs robots in most of its furniture production processes. At Coas’s Paju factory, robots automatically cut wood and veneer materials on the workbench to predetermined sizes and measurements, then pass them on to the next stage where other robots perform finishing tasks. Another robot is responsible for cleaning the materials.

In another workshop producing chairs, sparks fly from all directions. Welding robots continuously join the lower parts of chairs. Robots have taken over these tasks from humans for over a decade. A Coas representative explained, "Robots handle dangerous processes such as cutting and welding," adding, "This has improved productivity, reduced manufacturing waste costs by about 20%, and established an efficient production process while enhancing quality."

Yeonwoo's multi-joint robot is performing metal chemical polishing (anodizing) work. In the past, workers wore protective clothing and gas masks to carry out the work directly.
[Photo by Yeonwoo]

Yeonwoo, a container manufacturer for cosmetics recently made more famous by its acquisition by Kolmar Korea, began building a smart factory eight years ago. Yeonwoo is one of the few mid-sized companies currently at the highest level of smart factory development, the ‘advanced stage.’

Processes such as metal chemical polishing (anodizing), injection molding, and metal product manufacturing, which previously required workers to wear protective suits and masks, have been handed over to robots. Real-time management of manpower, equipment, materials, and work processes is possible, and the status of production line robots and the lifespan of robot parts can be immediately monitored.

Park Soon-jong, Head of Management at Yeonwoo, said, "The atmosphere in workplaces handling hazardous substances like sulfuric acid was always tense, but with robots working, it has become one of the safest workplaces." He added, "As employees became safer, productivity improved by about 20%, and the factory utilization rate rose to 90%, surpassing the industry average of 70%."

Employees are watching a robot moving heavy textile rolls at the Uijin Hanil Hapsem factory in Uiryeong.
[Photo by Uijin Hanil Hapsem]

At Eugene Hanil Hapsem, a textile manufacturing affiliate of the Eugene Group, robots were introduced to prevent musculoskeletal disorders among production workers. This process involves transporting and packaging heavy textile rolls, which previously caused chronic shoulder and neck pain among workers. The company installed manufacturing robots last year at its Uiryeong factory in Gyeongnam as part of a demonstration project conducted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, and the Korea Textile Machinery Research Institute.

Jung Yong-sik, Manager of Eugene Hanil Hapsem’s Uiryeong factory, said, "Introducing robots and automation processes has increased employee satisfaction on the production floor and improved productivity." He added, "Robots have proven to be a great asset, delivering more than double benefits, and we truly realized why they are necessary." According to the company, a survey of employees after robot introduction showed a 30% increase in job satisfaction, and defect rates dropped by more than 50% due to improved work efficiency.