"From New Production Plants to R&D Centers" Food Industry Strengthens Future Investments

Daesang Inno Park located in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] The food industry is actively investing in preparations for the post-COVID era by building new production bases and starting operations of new research and development (R&D) facilities.

According to the food industry on the 3rd, Daesang established and began operating a research center called 'Innopark' in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul on the 1st. Daesang plans to use Innopark as a 'research-specialized base' to leap forward as a global food and materials company. They also intend to actively conduct joint research in the food and materials industry through exchanges between companies within the Magok Industrial Complex. Lim Jeong-bae, CEO of Daesang, stated, "We will secure specialized research personnel centered around Innopark and continuously expand investments in R&D to consistently present research achievements leading the domestic and international food and materials industries."

Innopark was established on a total area of approximately 35,000㎡, with 8 floors above ground and 2 basement levels. Daesang invested a total of 120 billion KRW over about two years to build the facility and completed the research center in June. Innopark houses food-related facilities developing technologies for products such as Cheongjeongwon and Jongga Jip, including a Food Research Institute, Kimchi Technology Research Institute, Global Research Lab, and Food Safety Center. Additionally, the Starch and Sugar Research Institute and Bio Research Institute, which handle R&D for materials such as food and feed by integrating biotechnology, as well as the Health Research Institute responsible for developing and researching health functional food products, were established.

In December last year, Daesang Lifescience, which started patient food business in 1995 under Daesang's health division and had been producing products at Cheonan Plant 1, built a dedicated standalone factory, Cheonan Plant 2, after 26 years. Construction of Cheonan Plant 2 began in June 2020 and was completed after about 18 months of building and equipment installation. The factory is equipped with the latest facilities for producing adult balanced nutrition foods and protein drinks, with an annual production capacity of 24,500 tons, double that of Cheonan Plant 1. They plan to increase production capacity to over 90,000 tons annually through future facility expansions.

Aerial View of Crown Confectionery Asan New Factory

Crown Confectionery also announced last month that it will build a new eco-friendly snack factory producing main snack products such as Jolly Pong in Asan, Chungnam. The new factory will be built in Eumbong-myeon, Asan-si, Chungnam, covering a total area of approximately 52,000㎡ (16,000 pyeong), with a total investment of 69.5 billion KRW (excluding land). Completion is planned by November next year. It will produce snacks worth up to 240 billion KRW annually, including main snack products like Jolly Pong and Corn Chip.

This is Crown's first new snack factory construction in 34 years. They will apply the latest technology to the production facilities of the existing Asan factory, which has been operating in Baebang-eup, Asan-si since 1988, to build an eco-friendly snack factory. Solar power generation facilities and high-efficiency transformers will be installed to improve energy efficiency, and low-NOx eco-friendly boilers will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to half.

With the factory size more than doubling, the introduction of new production facilities becomes possible. By applying a vertical production line process, Crown Confectionery expects to significantly enhance production competitiveness by improving product safety and efficiency. Along with the factory, a logistics base more than twice the current size will be installed to serve as a nationwide snack logistics hub. Logistics efficiency and competitiveness will also be strengthened through automated logistics systems using robots.

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