From Cafes to Kiosks... Pilot Installation of 'Smart Rest Areas' in Industrial Complexes

Korea Industrial Complex Corporation
Gyeonggi Banwol-Sihwa National Industrial Complex & Gyeongnam Changwon National Industrial Complex
Evaluation and Selection Next Month, Operation Starting from Year-End

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] The first so-called 'Smart Rest Area,' where industrial complex workers can naturally combine work and rest, will be established. This multifunctional smart booth space installed near workplaces is expected to improve worker convenience and enhance working conditions.

According to the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation on the 27th, the Smart Rest Area will be pilot-built by December this year in the Banwol-Sihwa National Industrial Complex in Gyeonggi and the Changwon National Industrial Complex in Gyeongnam. From next month, on-site inspections for business operator screening and selection evaluation committee assessments will be conducted, and the Smart Rest Area is expected to operate as early as the end of the year.

The Smart Rest Area will be equipped with cafes, media displays, kiosks, and other facilities freely accessible to workers within the industrial complexes. It will serve as a multifunctional space that not only provides small rest areas but also visualizes and delivers various necessary information such as weather and traffic conditions.

The Industrial Complex Corporation plans to pilot the installation and operation of Smart Rest Areas in the Banwol-Sihwa and Changwon industrial complexes this year, review worker responses and outcomes, and then consider expanding to other industrial complexes.

The Smart Rest Area is part of efforts to create industrial complexes preferred and frequented by young people by fostering a pleasant working environment. The Industrial Complex Corporation plans to revamp the image of industrial complexes into young and smart spaces by creating worker-friendly environments where people, culture, and industry coexist, especially in complexes lacking worker convenience facilities.

Since his inauguration in March, Kim Jeonghwan, Director of the Industrial Complex Corporation, has urged employees to "achieve visible results of smart industrial complexes early to respond to the digital economy era and address national economic issues such as manufacturing innovation and job creation."

Panwol National Industrial Complex Panorama

The Banwol-Sihwa and Changwon industrial complexes, where the Smart Rest Areas will be established, are smart industrial complexes promoted by the government under the manufacturing renaissance strategy. Banwol-Sihwa is the largest cluster of the root industry in Korea, with efforts underway to smarten the production processes of resident companies. To create a worker-friendly environment and culture, the construction of a complex cultural center and the establishment of an urban railway network (tram) within the industrial complex are also being pursued.

Changwon Industrial Complex is the largest cluster of the machinery industry. It is promoting the spread of intelligent robots, ICT (Information and Communication Technology) convergence smart factories, and the training of specialized personnel. Additionally, a pleasant working environment is being created through ecological rest spaces connecting the industrial complex and the city, as well as the distribution of electric mobility.

According to the 'Smart Industrial Complex Standard Model Establishment and Leading Industrial Complex Execution Plan' announced by the government in September last year, establishing a pleasant working and residential environment is one of the three core goals of smart industrial complexes. Budgets from the industrial complex high value-added project are being invested to build various worker-friendly spaces.

Currently, four regions have been selected as smart industrial complexes, including Banwol-Sihwa and Changwon, as well as Gumi Industrial Complex in North Gyeongsang Province and Namdong Industrial Complex in Incheon. The government plans to select 10 smart industrial complexes by 2022 and 20 by 2030, expanding them sequentially.

An official from the Industrial Complex Corporation said, "This year is the second year of the smart industrial complex standard model establishment project, and plans for manufacturing innovation and worker-friendly environment creation within the complexes are being sequentially implemented according to the budget. We expect visible results starting next year, the third year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.