[Interview] "IPO Is Just the Beginning... We Will Build a Software-Driven Company"

Eom Inseop: "With the World's Smallest Wheel Pitch, We Lead Logistics Innovation"
IPO Success Spurs New Growth Strategy
Entering the Service Robot Market and Expanding Investment

TXR Robotics Logistics Automation Business Division, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Employees in work uniforms are busy conducting final performance tests on a Wheel Sorter that will soon be delivered to a client. The Wheel Sorter is an automated system in which small wheels on a conveyor belt move up, down, left, and right to sort parcel boxes within a logistics warehouse. The Wheel Sorter produced by TXR Robotics features the world's smallest pitch?the distance between roller centers. This allows for less error and faster sorting compared to other wheel sorters. When visiting TXR Robotics on April 17, it was clear that the company’s ambition to become a leading global robotics and logistics automation enterprise was taking shape, thanks to its specialized technology.

Eom Inseop, CEO of TXR Robotics, said, "With a world-leading wheel pitch of 55mm, we can handle not only medium and large cargo but also small parcels with precision, and the system can freely adjust angles to direct items in multiple directions. The Wheel Sorter is a facility created with TXR Robotics’ unique technological expertise."

Eom Inseop, CEO of TXR Robotics, is explaining the intelligent automatic sorting system 'Wheel Sorter'. Photo by Yoon Dongju

TXR Robotics was established in 2024 as a specialized robotics and logistics automation company after Eugene Logistics, a logistics subsidiary of Eugene Group, acquired logistics automation company Taesung System in 2021, and Taesung System subsequently merged with robotics specialist Rotall. Focusing on logistics automation with the Wheel Sorter as its flagship product line, the company experienced rapid growth and successfully went public on KOSDAQ last month. The IPO attracted intense market interest, with a subscription competition ratio of 800 to 1 among institutional and retail investors.

Having successfully completed the IPO, which was considered a 'core task,' CEO Eom said, "I have been thinking even more deeply about how to operate the company going forward. We had passionate discussions with employees about management strategies, approaching the IPO not as the end but as the beginning."

The most notable change for TXR Robotics after going public is its expansion into the 'service robot business.' With about 60% of its total revenue generated from logistics automation, TXR Robotics has established itself as a market leader in Korea and is now leveraging its expertise to enter the service robot market. The company began by gradually increasing its market share with a mobile manipulator?a type of mobile robot that combines a robotic arm with an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) based on the domestically commercialized Mecanum Wheel for the first time in Korea.

Building on active research and development of ACS (AMR Control System) and embedded software, TXR Robotics has recently entered the special-purpose service robot market, including cleaning and firefighting robots. CEO Eom aims to develop a proprietary control and management system through ongoing software research to create 'Korea-customized service robots.'

He stated, "Based on our technological capabilities in ACS and embedded systems, I believe TXR Robotics can be highly competitive in the service robot sector as well. By focusing investment on the development of piece-picking robots?which combine robotics, vision, and AI technologies?we aim to achieve a 50:50 revenue split between logistics automation and robot automation businesses within two years."

Um Inseop, CEO of TXR Robotics, is being interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Yoon Dongjoo

In particular, CEO Eom has designated this year as the inaugural year for TXR Robotics to become a 'software-driven company.' Having worked in Samsung SDS’s logistics and factory automation division, he is more aware than anyone of the importance of software. As part of this initiative, TXR Robotics plans to establish a new AI research lab in Magok District, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, in the first half of this year.

CEO Eom explained, "The AI research lab will focus on the development of core technologies for future robot development and automation solutions, such as advanced vision algorithms, ACS, and SCS (STK Control System). In the long term, it will serve as a key hub to help our company grow into a software-strong enterprise."

The company is also accelerating its push into global markets. In particular, it plans to expand its network of agents in North America and Europe, where investment in logistics automation is active, and to extend turnkey projects?which cover the entire process from planning and design to manufacturing and maintenance?for Korean companies building factories overseas. Additionally, next year, TXR Robotics will actively promote itself by participating in major global exhibitions such as MODEX, North America's largest logistics expo, and Logis-Tech Tokyo, Japan’s international logistics fair.

CEO Eom said, "In the near term, our goal is for TXR Robotics to be ranked among the world’s top 10 robotics and logistics automation companies. In the long term, we aspire to become a company that not only increases sales but also contributes to society and humanity as a whole. This year will be a particularly special year for TXR Robotics as we strive toward these goals."