“Leading in the localization of parts with 30 years of know-how… We will become Korea’s leading OIL SKIMMER company”
KEM Co., Ltd. is making a great contribution to cost reduction of large companies by localizing expensive foreign parts. A representative example is the company's flagship product, 'OIL SKIMMER'. Han Seung-hun, executive director of KEM, said, “It is the result of 30 years of know-how and technology and excellent raw materials. OIL SKIMMER is used to remove impurities in cutting oil in the machine tool business, and it is said that many domestic companies are currently using KEM's products. In recognition of the quality competitiveness of the product, in 2017, it was awarded the Presidential Commendation for Excellent Capital Goods Development. Han Seung-hoon, executive director, expressed his aspirations to become Korea's leading OIL SKIMMER company by further spurring new product development.
▲ Han Seung-hoon, Executive Director of KEM
Q. What is your secret to steady growth over the past 30 years?
A. The secret to KEM's growth must be excellent quality based on reliability. In particular, the value of the company was recognized by localizing Japanese parts and contributing greatly to cost reduction of large companies. Going one step further, we did not settle for expanding the domestic market, but focused on exporting by participating in overseas exhibitions and attracting foreign buyers to domestic exhibitions. KEM is spurring endless testing and development in its affiliated research center to develop new products based on 'smart' with the goal of greater growth.
Q. How was your business performance last year?
A. Despite the unfavorable market environment at home and abroad, orders for KEM's products from Samsung Display continued through automation companies, and as far as China's display company BOE, machines equipped with our products flowed, we achieved our own results. I think it was the year. In addition, it was able to build reliability based on KEM's excellent raw materials and quality without falling behind in competition with low-priced Chinese products.
Q. What is your focus business and sales strategy this year?
A. KOIL SKIMMER, which KEM's technology is concentrated in, is used to remove impurities in cutting oil generated at production sites such as washing tanks, machining centers, and CNC lathes in machine tool workplaces. It is currently installed and applied to Doosan Machine Tools, Hyundai Wia, and Samsung Electronics, and this year, KEM's OIL SKIMMER is being installed in more companies.
▲ OIL SKIMMER, the main product of KEM
Q. I am curious about the features of OIL SKIMMER.
A. OIL SKIMMER boasts perfect quality with almost zero complaints from customers. The user's repurchase period is close to 10 years, and it is manufactured in a belt type, so oil separation is possible continuously regardless of water level fluctuations. In addition, it is characterized by excellent corrosion resistance and impact resistance. It is comparable to Japanese or European products, and it has further strengthened its competitiveness by acquiring reliability certification (R-Mart) and CE certification.
Q. If you give an actual application case.
A. In order to minimize environmental pollution at industrial sites for ecology, which is a common global issue, more and more companies are trying to install oil skimmers at production sites. For example, KEM's OIL SKIMMER is applied in various industrial fields such as processing product cleaning tanks, heat treatment, paint shop grinding machines, and machining centers.
▲ Interface cover
Q. What are the recently released products?
A. Industrial machines are getting more and more compact and functions are getting smarter. KEM, which continues to produce interface covers, has developed a simple yet compact interface in response to these market demands. In other words, we are trying to lead the changing market environment by simplifying functionality and design when it is installed on a machine by applying an Internet LAN port and a USB port. In addition, we developed an industrial OIL SKIMMER to filter out more impurities, and this product has the ability to remove 2 to 3 times more oil than before.
Q. What position do you plan to take in the machine tool-related parts market in the future?
A. Numerous companies are operating production plants overseas amid unfavorable conditions at home and abroad, but KEM has strengthened its productivity by relocating from the Sasang Industrial Complex to a new building in the distribution complex in Gangseo-gu, Busan in August 2016. In the meantime, KEM has occupied the upper hand in terms of quality by standing up against foreign companies with 'MADE IN KOREA' products related to mechanical parts. We will continue to listen to the needs of our customers and make efforts to export to Japan beyond Korea through ceaseless research and development.
Reporter Lim Geun-nan fa@hellot.net
[source] HelloT - Power Interview_Executive Director Han Seung-hoon of KEM Co., Ltd.
