From Core Technologies to Cars and Home Appliances... The Reasons Why the Gwangju Exhibition Attracts Attention

International Green Car, Root Industry Expo, and IoT Home Appliances & Robots
Three Exhibitions Held Simultaneously in Gwangju

The Casper displayed at the Gwangju Green Car Promotion Agency booth at the 2022 International Green Car Exhibition, which opened on the 21st. It is a model commissioned and produced by Gwangju Global Motors, created as part of a regional win-win job project.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Automobiles, home appliances, robots, precision machining, and mold making.

At first glance, these fields may seem unrelated, but upon closer inspection, they are closely intertwined industries. Automobiles have become rolling machines equipped with complex electronic devices, and molds, essential for efficiently producing more precise industrial products, are still considered foundational technologies in manufacturing.

Hosted by Gwangju Metropolitan City and organized by the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center and KOTRA, the 2022 International Green Car Exhibition, International Root Industry Exhibition, and International IoT Home Appliance & Robot Expo are expected to create synergy. These events will be held simultaneously over three days starting from the 21st at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Seo-gu, Gwangju.

The center organizing the event stated, "Gwangju's main industries are material components, known as root industries in manufacturing technology," adding, "It uniquely houses Kia and Hyundai's production plants (Gwangju Global Motors) in Korea, as well as home appliance industries like Samsung Electronics and Carrier." The decision to hold different exhibitions simultaneously aims to link these industries and generate convergence synergies among key sectors to secure competitiveness externally.

Mechanized unit reconnaissance vehicle manufactured by Kia. On the 21st, Kia, along with special vehicle manufacturers Kobico, Fine Special Vehicles, and AM Special Vehicles, participated together with a joint booth at the International Green Car Exhibition that opened on the same day.

Now in its 14th year, the International Green Car Exhibition aims to present a vision for future mobility. EN Plus participated for the first time this year, showcasing Korea's first electronically controlled air suspension system applied to an electric cargo truck. They also exhibited a series of small electric truck wheelbase extensions. The high-end imported car brand Mercedes-Benz presented its electric EQ series and prepared an outdoor test drive event.

DKSH, headquartered in Switzerland, displayed an HP 3D printer. This attracted attention by applying additive manufacturing methods beyond traditional injection molding. Additionally, the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Gwangju Green Car Promotion Agency, and Korea Transportation Safety Authority focused on showcasing research equipment, finished vehicles, and automobile-related policies. Gwangju City set up an automobile industry promotion hall to highlight the achievements of its eco-friendly vehicle parts cluster project. Among the projects Gwangju is actively fostering, the special-purpose vehicle hall introduced small pump fire trucks, Korean-style cleaning vehicles, mobile hospital vehicles, and multipurpose armored vehicles.

Automotive Parts Company Howon Exhibition Hall

At the International IoT Home Appliance & Robot Expo, visitors could see Samsung Electronics' SmartThings, Gwangju joint brand GL's intelligent home appliances, Otek Carrier's products, and drone technologies from the Korea Drone Association. Samsung Electronics arranged a themed booth featuring products and content tailored to lifestyle and concepts. GL showcased 38 finished products from 23 local home appliance brands, including range hoods, air purifiers, standing assist robots, far-infrared windless heaters, and smart cookers.

The International Root Industry Exhibition featured participation from the Air Force Logistics Command, which displayed samples of aerospace weapon system parts. Regional root industry-related cooperative organizations set up a joint pavilion. The Korea Mold Industry Promotion Association and the Root Industry Promotion Association participated again this year following last year. Visitors could explore the latest trends in precision machining, mold fields such as injection, press, die casting, and mold design software.

From the 21st for three days, the International Green Car Exhibition, International Root Industry Exhibition, and International IoT Home Appliance Robot Expo will be held together at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju. At the opening ceremony, Kang Gi-jung, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City (center in the photo), along with local political and business figures, attended.

Export consultation meetings, which can be linked to the business performance of participating companies, were held throughout the event. According to the organizers, export consultations during the event were conducted in a hybrid format, combining online and offline, with 52 buyer companies from 12 countries overseas expected to attend. KOTRA and Bridging Partners jointly set up an overseas export consultation hall during the exhibition period to facilitate buyer matching consultations.

In particular, in connection with the Busan International Motor Show, which opened last week and is currently ongoing, 17 overseas buyer companies visiting Busan also planned to visit the Gwangju exhibition for consultations. Kim Sang-mook, president of the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center, said, "At this expo, visitors will be able to view not only the achievements of green cars and root industries but also digital convergence technologies such as robots all in one place."