Samsung Electronics-Supported K-Bio... Production Increased by 80% in One Year

Kogen Biotech Expands Diagnostic Kit Productivity After Establishing Smart Factory

Kogen Biotech, a diagnostic kit manufacturer that improved its processes through Samsung Electronics' smart factory construction project. Previously (photo left), employees manually closed the caps of diagnostic reagent containers one by one using sticks. Now, they have introduced a 'jig' that allows multiple tasks to be done simultaneously, sealing the container caps quickly and easily.
[Photo by Samsung Electronics]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As of May, 'Kogen Biotech,' which produces COVID-19 diagnostic kits in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, has a weekly production capacity of 10,000 kits (1 kit serves 100 people). This is a 79% increase compared to the 5,600 kits produced in May last year, right after the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis. The secret to this rapid production increase within a year lies in Samsung Electronics' 'Smart Factory Construction' project, which aims to strengthen the capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies.

When Samsung Electronics' expert committee members with over 25 years of experience visited Kogen Biotech, production workers were sealing diagnostic kit caps manually using sticks. Employees had to move around to check whether 58 freezers storing the diagnostic kits were maintaining the proper temperature. However, with Samsung Electronics providing funding and expert advice, the process changed. Instead of manually pressing each cap with a stick, a dedicated machine (jig) was created to seal nearly 100 caps at once. By applying Internet of Things (IoT) temperature monitoring technology, the temperature of each freezer can now be checked in real-time using a smartphone.

Samsung Electronics' Smart Factory Construction project opens its technology and know-how to SMEs by dispatching experts and supporting improvements such as mold and logistics route optimization, packaging process enhancement, and automation equipment introduction to rapidly increase productivity. Since its inception in 2015, the project shifted last year to urgently support about 20 health product manufacturers, including diagnostic kit, mask, and hand sanitizer producers, amid the COVID-19 spread.

Small companies like Kogen Biotech, which support the K-Bio industry, have significantly improved production efficiency within a year thanks to Samsung Electronics' assistance. 'NJ Company,' which produces sanitizers and other quarantine products in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, was once in such poor condition that it considered closing down. After receiving advice from Samsung experts last year, it automated the process of filling products into containers and simplified the production line layout. Monthly production, which was 5 tons, has now surged to 200 tons. Hong Mi-hye, the manager of NJ Company, said, "Workers find it easier to work, and since production speed has increased, we can meet delivery schedules well."

'Solgent,' a diagnostic kit manufacturer in Daejeon, also increased its weekly production from 11,900 kits to 20,571 kits, a rise of about 73%, after six weeks of improvement work last year. These SMEs also supported quarantine efforts by supplying self-produced items such as hand sanitizers, masks, and specimen collection tools.

A Samsung Electronics official said, "We expect the Smart Factory Construction project to contribute to creating social value by expanding sales and establishing an innovation foundation not only for partner companies but also for general domestic SMEs." So far, about 2,500 SMEs have built smart factories with Samsung Electronics' support.

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