Jungjingong, Recruitment of Participating Companies for Smart Factory Post-Management Project

Customized AS Support by Type: Emergency Recovery and Growth-Linked Models

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) and the Small and Medium Business Corporation (Chairman Kim Hak-do, hereinafter referred to as SBC) announced on the 27th that they will recruit small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to participate in the newly launched Smart Factory Aftercare Project throughout the year.

The Smart Factory Aftercare is a new project that supports companies that have introduced smart factories by resolving operational difficulties such as parts replacement and software upgrades, thereby enhancing the utilization and efficiency of smart factories. The budget for this year is a total of 4.41 billion KRW, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the budget is exhausted.

The Ministry and SBC plan to provide customized aftercare support by dividing smart factory adopters into two types: Emergency Recovery Type and Growth-Linked Type. The Emergency Recovery Type helps immediately resolve issues through after-sales service (AS) for equipment, parts, and solution failures or defects related to smart factory operations. The purpose is to improve smart factory utilization and normalize the system. The Growth-Linked Type supports hardware and software upgrades necessary for digital-based growth, linked to smart factory introduction and facility investment, including ▲product item changes ▲process improvements ▲production efficiency improvements ▲security enhancements.

Support is provided up to 50% of the total project cost, with government subsidies capped at a maximum of 5 million KRW for the Emergency Recovery Type and up to 20 million KRW for the Growth-Linked Type. The project period can be up to 6 months, with a possible 2-month extension upon application. Eligible applicants are SMEs that have completed smart factory introduction by participating in the government’s smart factory dissemination and expansion project and meet the small enterprise size criteria based on the average sales over the past three years. Among these, the Growth-Linked Type is available to companies that have made facility investments through SBC’s policy fund support within the last three years or have received a decision to support facility funds.

Applications can be submitted on the SBC website, and detailed inquiries can be made to the SBC Smart Diagnosis Technology Department and regional headquarters. Chairman Kim Hak-do said, "Along with Smart Factory Aftercare, we will provide linked support such as manufacturing site smartization funds, AS coaching, and smart factory training to strengthen the digital infrastructure of adopting companies." He added, "SBC will lead the smart manufacturing innovation of SMEs and startups by resolving operational difficulties of smart factory adopters and supporting the establishment of a digital transformation foundation."

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