SK Hynix Establishes 'Master' as Highest Position for Production Workers

Participated in Key Decision-Making as On-Site Advisor

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Pyeonghwa] SK Hynix has added the highest level position called 'Master' beyond the existing 'Myeongjang' (Master Craftsman) to emphasize the importance of semiconductor production work and related talent. It is a key role that serves as an on-site advisor, assisting executives and management in decision-making.

On the 16th, SK Hynix announced that it has established the 'Master' position as the highest career stage in the on-site Maintenance job group responsible for maintaining semiconductor production equipment.

The Master position is the next step after the existing 'Myeongjang' position. While a Myeongjang is an expert who directly solves or improves on-site issues, a Master plays the role of an advisor who passes down knowledge of semiconductor manufacturing sites to juniors and provides solutions to various problems.

SK Hynix's first master, Ma Kyung-su Kiseong / [Image provided by SK Hynix]

Masters document the knowledge accumulated on-site into white papers and, based on their extensive know-how, can advise during management decision-making processes. They have no retirement age, allowing them to pass on their experiential assets to the organization and its members for a long time.

SK Hynix explained that the Master position was created to motivate employees and satisfy their desire for growth. The experience and know-how accumulated in manufacturing sites lead to improvements in product yield and quality, directly contributing to the company’s technological competitiveness, including new technology development.

Since the Master is a significant position that guides the direction of the field, SK Hynix stated that Masters are selected through multiple verification steps. Candidates are chosen from among Myeongjangs who possess the highest technical skills and have contributed to performance and junior development, then selected through in-depth interviews and management deliberations.

The first Master is Ma Kyungsoo, Senior Engineer of the Etch Equipment Technology Team at SK Hynix. Master Ma joined the company in 1993 and marks 30 years of service this year. He has been responsible for equipment installation and maintenance in the Equipment Technology Team. He has achievements including developing a system that helps standardize the quality and performance of equipment across multiple production facilities.

Position Description Image / [Image provided by SK Hynix]

SK Hynix will also introduce the 'Master Technical Review Session.' This will create a forum where Masters, Myeongjangs, and organizational executives can discuss, enabling executives to quickly grasp on-site issues and promptly support problem-solving.

Kim Hyunhwan, head of Tech. Talent at SK Hynix, said, "Employees working on the production floor are the cornerstone of SK Hynix," and added, "There are various departments contributing to semiconductor production within the company, and we plan to continuously expand an excellent talent pool, a crucial requirement for a global top-tier technology company, by discovering Masters in each department."