[NE Coffee Chat] "Tell me the factory operating rate" AI answers immediately... Definite's 'Exy'

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Editor's NoteAsia Economy supports the sustainable growth of startups. This is through the 'Coffee Chat Project,' conducted in collaboration with the startup accelerator Next Elevation. Asia Economy and Next Elevation introduce promising startups every month in the form of 'Coffee Chat.' They cover topics such as the founders' motivations, business models, and future plans through interviews. This aims to enhance understanding of the overall startup ecosystem and seek solutions to challenges faced by startup companies.

A manager at a manufacturing company asks about the factory's operating rate. The employee who receives the question suddenly becomes busy. They have to call the factory to inquire about the utilization of production equipment and crunch numbers on a calculator. Even if the data is digitized, it remains complicated. They must go through several steps, such as opening folders one by one to search, to reach the desired information. Definite is a startup that solves these problems and helps companies practically utilize data to increase productivity. It does so through artificial intelligence (AI). You just need to ask, "Tell me the current inventory." Whether the question is about inventory rate, operating rate, or production performance, the AI immediately provides an answer about the company.

On the 27th, Kim Dohwan, CEO of Definite, said, "We are creating an internal AI chatbot for companies to improve productivity," adding, "You can think of it as a 'ChatGPT' that answers based on the company's data." Definite's 'Exy' immediately responds when asked about company information. It is a seamless kind of corporate secretary. Technically, it is a large language model (LLM) integrated with the groupware system. CEO Kim explained, "The key is how much data can be integrated," and added, "We see our competitiveness in being able to integrate and link the groupware systems used by companies."

CEO Dohwan Kim (center in the back row) and Definite employees are taking a commemorative photo.

CEO Kim, who graduated from Seoul National University's deep learning lab, worked at DIT, participating in developing AI for Samsung Display's manufacturing plants. At that time, he became aware of the inconveniences faced by manufacturing plants. He also discovered that although companies accumulate data, they fail to utilize it efficiently. Naturally, he pondered whether there was a way to help increase productivity by integrating internal company data using his expertise in AI. This reflection led him to start a business in 2022. Along with him, three AI developers left stable jobs to take on the challenge.

All founding members have experience building AI smart factories, which is an advantage for Definite. The desire of an automobile parts manufacturer for a chatbot that knows and answers information from internal systems like ERP became the foundation for the current 'Exy' model. Exy does not just answer questions but also identifies problems and enables their resolution. CEO Kim said, "It detects overlooked issues such as missing inventory or long-unused items and allows corrective actions," adding, "There have been actual benefits, such as discovering omitted customs refunds at client companies."

CEO Kim Dohwan is explaining about 'Exy'.

Definite's service target is not limited to manufacturing plants. It can be applied anywhere productivity can be improved by utilizing data. At Loft Island, where technical verification for adoption is underway, about 10,000 students attending video lectures ask questions, and internal coaches use AI to answer them. Before using Exy, coaches had to rewatch videos or search materials to respond to questions, but now AI guides them on which data to consult, significantly reducing the time required. Although it integrates and handles corporate data, there is no need to worry about security. CEO Kim said, "We design it customized to the system and build it on the company's server," adding, "Since our corporate data does not leave the company, there is no risk of leakage."

Definite's goal for this year is to actively expand its client base. They are currently discussing adoption with major security companies. Although prices vary depending on scale, they are set at half the cost of ERP, enabling small and medium-sized enterprises to invest in productivity improvement. If they achieve results in the domestic market, they plan to enter the global market. CEO Kim said, "We are considering Japan, where there is demand in manufacturing such as factories."