Daedong Industrial's 'Spatial Innovation' Achievements... Creative 'Future Agriculture'

Seoul Followed by Daegu Headquarters Remodeling
Changes in Work Methods and Work Environment
27% Increase in Operating Profit in the First Half of the Year

Remodeling of the lobby at Daedong Industrial Changnyeong Technology Research Center.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] Daedong Industrial, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, is seeing tangible results from its 'Space Innovation' project. Communication and collaboration have been strengthened through changes in work methods and working environments, positively impacting business performance.

According to Daedong Industrial on the 11th, remodeling work is underway at the headquarters office and factory in Dalseong-gun, Daegu City, with completion targeted for this month. The interior and exterior of the headquarters will be revamped to match the company's status as a leader in the future advanced agricultural machinery industry. Meeting rooms and rest areas will also be expanded. Daedong Industrial completed space innovation projects earlier this year at the Seoul office in Seocho-dong and the Changnyeong Technology Research Center in Gyeongnam.

The Seoul office expanded shared spaces. The area per person was reduced from 10.6㎡ to 5.6㎡, and the freed-up space was used to add employee lounges and meeting rooms. A video conference room was also established to respond to the untact (non-face-to-face) era. A 'Smart Work Center' was created for the convenience of employees on business trips to other sites.

Won Yuhyun, General President of Daedong Industrial

In particular, as part of building a horizontal organizational culture, separate office spaces previously allocated to team leaders and division heads were eliminated. Team leaders and division heads now use the same desks and chairs right next to regular employees. The space occupied by agricultural machinery parts in the lobby on the first floor of the Changnyeong Technology Research Center was remodeled into a smart space for rest and meetings.

This space innovation is part of Daedong Industrial's process of changing work methods. Co-CEOs Kim Junsik and Won Yuhyun are focusing on driving this initiative. Before his promotion to Co-CEO in January this year, Mr. Won served as head of the Strategic Planning Division, concentrating on establishing future management strategies. He agreed with Chairman Kim's ideas on changing work methods and has been aggressively promoting them since taking office.

The changes in work methods are progressing along three frameworks: space innovation, integration of information and communication technology (ICT), and service innovation. This is because pursuing new businesses such as 'future advanced agriculture' requires more creative ideas from employees, and for that, a horizontal organizational culture and expanded communication and collaboration environments are necessary.

Remodeling of the conference room at Daedong Industrial Seoul Office.

The changes have brought visible results. Daedong Industrial recorded an operating profit of 37.1 billion KRW in the first half of this year on an individual basis, a 27% increase from 29.2 billion KRW in the same period last year. This is the highest operating profit in the company's history for the first half of a year.

Established in 1947, Daedong Industrial is a specialized agricultural machinery company and the market leader in South Korea for tractors, combines, and rice transplanters.

A Daedong Industrial official said, "Through changes in work methods such as space innovation, communication and collaboration between departments and business sites have been strengthened, improving work efficiency and leading to strong first-half performance. We are preparing for digital transformation based on changes in corporate culture."

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