Samsung Electronics, '40 Years of Hyupsunghoe'... "Partners Are Our Most Reliable Allies"

An employee of the network equipment company 'RFHIC' is attaching a semiconductor chip inside a circuit board.

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Samsung Electronics announced on the 27th that it has released a video on the 'Samsung Electronics Partner Companies Council (Hyupsunghoe),' which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, showcasing the journey leading the development of South Korea's IT industry and its current status on the 'Samsung Electronics Newsroom.'

The video, themed '40 Years Together Towards the Best,' introduced the achievements of Hyupsunghoe member companies who have worked alongside Samsung Electronics in becoming world leaders in fields such as semiconductors, TVs, and mobile phones, including technology localization, challenges to become number one globally, and practicing mutual growth with partner companies.

'Hyupsunghoe' is an organization established in 1981 by 39 first-tier partner companies of Samsung Electronics to maintain smooth cooperation, exchange information, and jointly develop technologies for mutual growth. Currently, 201 companies are members.

Hyupsunghoe member companies represent partner companies in discussions on mutual growth activities with Samsung Electronics, resolving difficulties, benchmarking and seminars for acquiring new technologies and processes for second- and third-tier partner companies, and conduct activities to enhance partner companies' competitiveness, as well as community service and scholarship projects.

Alongside Samsung Electronics, Hyupsunghoe member companies have achieved both quantitative and qualitative leaps, growing into a pillar of the South Korean economy. The combined sales of the 201 Hyupsunghoe companies in 2019 amounted to approximately KRW 57.9 trillion, employing about 283,000 people. Nine companies, including Dongwoo Fine-Chem, SFA, MCNEX, Patron, and Daeduck Electronics, each recorded sales exceeding KRW 1 trillion.

Comparing Hyupsunghoe member companies in 1991 and 2019, sales increased more than 25 times, and employment grew over sixfold. Daeduck Electronics, a PCB (printed circuit board) company, increased sales from KRW 8.8 billion in 1980 to KRW 1.0722 trillion in 2019, about 121 times growth, and employment rose from 280 to 3,500, approximately 12 times.

Employees of the semiconductor equipment company 'Wonik IPS' are inspecting semiconductor production facilities.

Hyupsunghoe member companies have continuously strived to strengthen competitiveness alongside Samsung Electronics, successfully localizing core technologies and launching world-leading products. 'EO Technics' succeeded last year in localizing high-performance laser production equipment, previously dependent on imports, through eight years of joint research and development with Samsung Electronics.

The 'laser annealing' equipment developed by EO Technics is a technology that heats and cools only parts of the wafer with a laser during the DRAM production process to process the surface. It is a key device that solves DRAM defects caused by circuit miniaturization.

Wonik IPS succeeded in localizing CVD equipment and core technologies used to manufacture semiconductor wafers with Samsung Electronics' technical support in 2018, following the expansion of the 3D NAND flash market. CVD refers to a process where gaseous chemical components form a thin film on a substrate through chemical reactions.

Intops, a mobile phone exterior injection company, developed new plastic materials used in products such as the 'Galaxy A51 5G' and 'Galaxy A21S' released this year. By applying a new process, it maintains the durability and gloss of tempered glass and can express various colors, contributing to the launch of smartphones in diverse colors.

Samsung Electronics focuses on supporting partner companies in three key areas: 'funding, technology, and manpower' to strengthen their competitiveness. In particular, it operates a mutual growth fund and a material supply support fund worth KRW 2.2 trillion to stabilize partner companies' management. Additionally, since 2010, it has provided incentives totaling over KRW 380 billion to excellent semiconductor partner companies that have achieved 'productivity' and 'safety' goals.

Since 2015, Samsung Electronics has opened 27,000 patents free of charge, and since 2013, it has established the 'Win-Win Cooperation Academy' dedicated to partner companies' education, recruitment, and consulting, providing systematic support. This year, to alleviate difficulties faced by partner companies due to COVID-19, it urgently provided funding and logistics support and delivered quarantine supplies such as masks and hand sanitizers.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics supports the establishment of smart factories for all small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized companies in need of support, regardless of whether they have business dealings with Samsung Electronics.

An employee of the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) company 'Daeduck Electronics' is inspecting the production facility.

Kim Young-jae, CEO of Daeduck Electronics and chairman of Hyupsunghoe, said, "Samsung Electronics' management emphasized from the early days of the electronics industry that partner companies should go far together and build a strong electronics industry," adding, "Hyupsunghoe will also fulfill its role so that South Korea's electronics industry can continue to expand amid changes in the global economy."

Kim Hyun-suk, CEO of Samsung Electronics, said, "Partner companies are Samsung Electronics' most reliable partners. Thanks to them, Samsung Electronics has grown into a global company, and South Korea has become an IT powerhouse," expressing "respect and gratitude to all employees of partner companies."

Under the CSR vision 'Let's Go Together to the Future! Enabling People,' Samsung Electronics carries out mutual growth activities and youth education social contribution activities such as the partner company mutual growth fund, smart factories, C-Lab Outside, and Samsung Future Technology Development Project.

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