Sanghoon Lee, Chairman of Korea Industrial Complex Corporation, Holds 1-Year Inauguration Meeting
Digital Infrastructure Established at 80 Sites in 18 Smart Green Industrial Complexes
At the integrated control center of Incheon Namdong Industrial Complex, information about potential fire or accident sites within the industrial complex is displayed in real-time on a large monitor at the front. Since most industrial complex fire accidents occur due to electrical issues, sensors are installed within workplaces to detect abnormal current flows. Since the establishment of this integrated control center, no fires have occurred in Iljin Plating Complex within Namdong Industrial Complex since 2021. Although it was designated as a fire watch zone due to annual fires, it has been transformed into a safe workplace by establishing a prevention system applying IT technology.
Fire accident prevention through the integrated control center is an example demonstrating the effects of the industrial complex digital transformation project. Currently, in 18 industrial complexes designated as Smart Green Industrial Complexes, where digital transformation and manufacturing innovation infrastructure are being established, tangible results have begun to materialize across various industrial sectors.
On the 16th, the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation announced that it has established 80 digital infrastructure sites in the 18 Smart Green Industrial Complexes to spread manufacturing smartization, create value chain digital transformation, and foster talent for the 4th industrial revolution. Since the project started in 2019 with Changwon and Banwol·Sihwa Industrial Complexes, the Industrial Complex Corporation (SanDanGong) has supported 3,953 tenant companies and trained 21,816 specialized personnel.
On the 13th, Lee Sang-hoon, Chairman of the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation, is giving a greeting speech at the meeting.
Although results have started to appear, from an overall roadmap perspective, this is just the first step. The Smart Green Industrial Complex project will be expanded to 25 industrial complexes by 2027 according to government national tasks. Digital transformation here will proceed in three stages. On the 13th, at a meeting held in Namdong Industrial Complex, Lee Sang-hoon, Director of SanDanGong, explained, "As the first stage, by 2027, we will establish digital infrastructure capable of collecting data on manufacturing, energy, and safety to build a data-sharing system within companies. The second stage, by 2029, will involve building wired and wireless networks and fostering data specialists to create a data-sharing ecosystem among companies. The final third stage, by 2032, aims to implement an intelligent industrial complex by connecting industrial complexes with ultra-high-speed networks to share data."
Digital transformation is directly linked to the management efficiency of tenant companies in industrial complexes. For example, Amotech, a mid-sized company located in Namdong Industrial Complex, built a cloud computing-based Factory Energy Management System (FEMS) with support from SanDanGong, achieving an annual electricity cost reduction of 150 million KRW. SanDanGong expanded the distribution of FEMS from 495 sites in 2020 to 795 sites last year, resulting in an overall energy saving improvement of 3.1%.
Going forward, SanDanGong plans to expand renewable energy during industrial complex development and ensure that digital infrastructure such as 5G specialized networks is built simultaneously. It also intends to support the integration of digital and artificial intelligence elements into industrial complexes.
Director Lee said, "Digital transformation is key to maintaining South Korea's competitiveness as a manufacturing powerhouse. For success, businesspeople on the ground must clearly understand why digital transformation is necessary and which parts of the manufacturing process should be automated. Since the recent declaration ceremony promoting digital transformation in industrial complexes, companies have voluntarily continued the digital transformation challenge campaign," he introduced.
Digital transformation also aligns with the goal of improving working environments to create industrial complexes attractive to young people. Director Lee stated, "According to the industrial complex revitalization strategy led by companies investing, youth seeking, and local governments leading, we plan to promote 36 key projects for industrial complex structural advancement over the next 10 years with a total project cost of 3 trillion KRW in cooperation with local governments. In 41 regions, regional advancement projects such as remodeling of closed or idle factories, construction of youth cultural centers, beautiful street creation plus projects, and youth-friendly renewal of aging factories are planned," he said.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
