Daedong Group Expands Beyond Agricultural Machinery into Smart Mobility Market

Investment of 121.4 Billion KRW... New e-Mobility Factory Established in Daegu
Building Smart Mobility Lineup for Agricultural and Non-Agricultural Use

Daedong Group announced on the 31st that it has signed the 'Daedong Group e-Mobility New Business Investment Agreement (MOU)' with Daegu City. Photo by Daedong

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Daedong Group is expanding beyond smart agricultural machinery into the smart mobility market.

Daedong Group announced on the 31st that it has signed a 'Daedong Group e-Mobility New Business Investment Agreement (MOU)' with Daegu City.

The event took place in the annex conference room of Daegu City Hall. Attendees included Won Yoohyun, General President of Daedong, the parent company of Daedong Group; Lee Seungwon, CEO of Daedong Mobility (formerly Korea Chain Industry), an affiliate of the group; Kwon Youngjin, Mayor of Daegu; KT Vice President Song Jaeho; Kim Ikjae, Director of KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology); and Yeo Jungoo, Director of KIRO (Korea Institute of Robot Convergence).

Daedong Group is establishing and accelerating the development of a smart mobility product lineup for both agricultural and non-agricultural uses. Through its affiliate Daedong Mobility Co., Ltd., which will be in charge of the e-mobility new business, the group plans to invest a total of 121.4 billion KRW by October 2024 and create 697 new jobs including partner companies.

First, Daedong Group aims to build an e-mobility manufacturing plant covering 102,264 m² (39,350 pyeong) within the Daegu National Industrial Complex (Dalseong-gun) by June 2022, and to begin mass production and market launch of agricultural mobility products, non-agricultural mobility such as e-bikes, and AI robot mobility starting in September.

Conceptual diagram of Daedong's battery-swappable electric mobility 'e-bike' product. Photo by Daegu City

For agricultural mobility, Daedong is developing products such as multipurpose carriers (e-Utility Vehicles) equipped with AI and autonomous driving technologies in collaboration with KIRO and KIST, multipurpose agricultural vehicles (Multi Platform) for future farming, and robotic lawn mowers targeting the North American and European markets.

The non-agricultural mobility e-bike is an independently developed product specialized for the delivery and logistics market, based on 74 years of experience and technology in tractors, multipurpose carriers, and zero-turn mowers. Through this, Daedong plans to enter the electric two-wheeler market.

The AI robot mobility is being developed in cooperation with KT (CEO Koo Hyunmo), the largest telecommunications and digital platform company in Korea. Additionally, Daedong plans to obtain medical device GMP certification next year and hold exhibition roadshows.

Regarding the production of e-bikes and AI robot mobility adopting a shared exchangeable battery system, Daedong expects significant convenience and synergy by providing comprehensive platform services including charger development and distribution, installation and operation of key charging stations, and operation of control centers.

Won Yoohyun, General President of Daedong, stated, "This year marks the inaugural year of our future agriculture business. We will introduce products and services that can change the industrial paradigm in smart agricultural machinery, smart mobility, and smart farm sectors to establish a market-leading foundation. Beyond smart agricultural machinery, we will drive forward the smart mobility business, pioneering this market just as we made history in domestic agricultural mechanization, and become a leading company in future agriculture."

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