Daegu City Awards Automation Materials Company 'Samik Jeonggong' with 'Excellent Small and Medium Enterprise Award'

On the 24th, Daegu City selected Samik Jeonggong Co., Ltd. (CEO Jin Mun-young) as the ‘Grand Prize’ winner among outstanding small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that contributed to regional economic development this year. The ‘Excellence Award’ went to Georim Tech Co., Ltd. (CEO Lee Chang-won) and Wonchang Material Co., Ltd. (CEOs Chae Young-baek and Chae Ae-jung), while the ‘Merit Award’ was given to Mirae Advanced Materials Co., Ltd. (CEO Yoon Seung-hwan), Woosung Powertech Co., Ltd. (CEO Jung Jeong-hoon), and MJ Vision Tech Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Joo-young).

The ‘Daegu Metropolitan City SME Awards’ recognize outstanding SMEs that have contributed to regional economic development through new technology development, sales growth, and job creation.

Since the first awards ceremony in 1996, 168 companies have been honored. This year, despite difficult economic conditions such as high inflation and high interest rates, six companies that have continuously enhanced Daegu’s economy through steady technological development and management innovation were selected.

Daegu City Sangyeok Office

Samik Jeonggong Co., Ltd., the Grand Prize winner, is a manufacturer of parts and materials in the automation field, including the only domestically produced linear bushing (linear motion bearing) in Korea, holding the number one market share (about 55%) in the domestic market.

It supplies core components for advanced industry automation equipment (such as industrial robots) in sectors like semiconductors and secondary batteries, achieving steady sales growth. Since its establishment in 1987, it has maintained a labor dispute-free workplace and excels in employment and labor-management relations.

Georim Tech Co., Ltd., awarded the Excellence Award, is a specialized manufacturer of functional films and tapes for display panels. It has expanded its production scope from traditional TVs and computer monitors to next-generation display fields such as smartwatches, foldable phones, and tablets, holding over 50% of the domestic market share.

Additionally, through R&D investment and product differentiation, it has received favorable reviews in overseas markets, exporting about 40% of its sales, and is expected to continue growing steadily.

Wonchang Material Co., Ltd. is a specialized textile manufacturer for clothing, producing high-quality products based on extensive experience and technology. It focuses on research and development in functional fibers and eco-friendly fibers that allow PET recycling, expanding its market share.

The company has also obtained global environmental certifications in the textile industry, such as Bluesign (dyeing, laminating) and Oeko-Tex (weaving, dyeing), and strives for sustainable management.

Mirae Advanced Materials Co., Ltd., selected for the Merit Award, processes lithium hydroxide used in cathode materials, a core component of secondary battery materials, and is uniquely leading the market with excellent ultra-fine grinding process technology.

In June this year, it completed its second factory, and in September, it established a local subsidiary in Canada to target the North American market, becoming the first in the lithium processing field to expand overseas. It is expanding its direct supply chain for cathode materials in North America, with high growth expected in the future.

Woosung Powertech Co., Ltd. is a specialized manufacturer of lamp cases (headlamps, rear lamps, etc.) for automotive lighting devices. Since its establishment, it has focused on technology development and quality improvement, possessing differentiated competitiveness such as atmospheric plasma pretreatment and injection laser automatic cutting.

Along with its accumulated technological expertise, it has introduced advanced manufacturing systems including process system development and smart factory construction and is actively pursuing global market entry.

MJ Vision Tech Co., Ltd. is a company that produces intelligent video analysis solutions analyzing footage input from CCTV. By developing AI-based intelligent video analysis systems, it contributes to community safety and smart city construction. It is also actively engaged in management innovation, including the introduction of compliance management systems for ESG management certification and promoting industry-academia cooperation, making it a promising company for the future.

Daegu City conducted a public contest in July targeting local SMEs for the SME Awards selection. This year, a total of 37 companies applied, showing a high competition rate of 6 to 1 compared to previous years.

Among the 37 applicants, a first evaluation was conducted including financial assessments by the Daegu Credit Guarantee Foundation and on-site investigations. Companies that passed this stage underwent a final review by a judging committee, resulting in the selection of six companies as the 2023 ‘Daegu Metropolitan City SME Award’ winners.

The companies selected for the SME Awards will receive plaques (designated plaques) and benefits such as preferential support for Daegu City SME development funds (for two years), priority support for participation in overseas market exploration teams and exhibitions/fairs (for two years), and exemption from local tax audits (for three years). The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held at the ‘Daegu SME Conference’ on November 29.

An Jung-gon, Director of the Daegu City Economic Bureau, said, “We sincerely congratulate the companies selected as outstanding SMEs and hope they take pride in being representative companies of Daegu City and contribute to corporate development and regional economic revitalization.” He added, “We will actively support not only the award-winning companies but also all SMEs in Daegu City to achieve greater growth in the future.”