25-Year Drive Cam Manufacturer 'Hana Jeongmil'
Participates in Sojinkong's 'Smart Workshop Technology Distribution'
Reduced Defect Rate and Shortened Delivery Time... Improved Operations
Kim Hong-seok, CEO of Hana Precision, has specialized in manufacturing drive cams for 25 years. Drive cams are components used in automated machines that perform repetitive tasks. They are used for precise machining of products and are utilized in various industries such as pharmaceuticals and food. As parts for mass production, they feature ultra-precision manufacturing processes that allow no margin of error. Although Hana Precision is small in scale, it is a company with accumulated experience and know-how. CEO Kim introduced his company by saying, "Most drive cams are either imported or based on foreign technology," and added, "We are one of the few companies in Korea specializing in drive cam manufacturing."
In 2020, the company was selected as a 'Century-Old Small Artisan' by the Gyeonggi Regional Small and Medium Venture Business Administration. The Century-Old Small Artisan designation is awarded to small artisans with over 15 years of business experience who have successfully managed their field with craftsmanship, based on evaluations of their technology and capabilities. CEO Kim said, "Thanks to my son, who is about to graduate from university and decided to inherit the family business, I feel even more pride as a small artisan."
However, last year CEO Kim faced a crisis. The equipment used to manufacture drive cams had aged, causing an increase in product defect rates. By participating in the 'Smart Workshop Technology Dissemination Project' of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Small Enterprise and Market Service), which he learned about through the Chamber of Commerce, his worries were alleviated. After receiving government support funding of 44 million KRW and equipping a production management program (MES) and a 3D measuring device, the defect rate dramatically dropped from 8.6% to 1.3%. The average delivery time was also shortened from 39 days to 28 days, significantly speeding up the work process.
Since 2020, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups has supported a total of about 2,000 small artisans through the Smart Workshop Technology Dissemination Project. This year, the project scale will be expanded to support 1,500 companies. The application announcement is made every March. The target is urban small artisans. Urban small artisans refer to manufacturing companies with fewer than 10 regular employees, characterized by high labor intensity and skilled technology. There are approximately 510,000 urban small artisans in Korea, accounting for 87.3% of the entire manufacturing industry. Major sectors include metal processing (15%), food products (13%), and other machinery equipment (12%). Many are root companies with difficulty securing manpower and poor working conditions, making the introduction of automation systems necessary.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups supports product and technology development and smart process adoption at up to 70 million KRW per company (70% national funding + 30% self-payment). The support mainly consists of ▲pre-consulting related to smart workshop establishment ▲capacity building such as smart education ▲development costs for smart technology adoption. Through the establishment of smart workshops, production data can be collected and analyzed, leading to process improvements and reductions in product defects, effectively addressing the difficulties faced by small artisans.
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