Seoul City Provides Comprehensive Support Information for Urban Small Manufacturers

Expanding Functions into a Platform to Enhance Market Competitiveness

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Seoul City announced on the 17th that it will launch the ‘Seoul City Small-scale Manufacturers Support Portal,’ which comprehensively provides information and support policies that urban small-scale manufacturers, aspiring entrepreneurs, and job seekers want to know. Users will be able to check education information by industry such as clothing and sewing, leather and fashion, precious metals, machinery and metals, and apply for support policies all in one place.

Urban small-scale manufacturers are the foundation of manufacturing and the backbone of the local economy. Although they account for 95% of all manufacturing, they are labor-intensive industries based on skilled techniques, and many are livelihood-type self-employed businesses, which has limited their ability to secure market competitiveness in line with rapidly changing technologies and trends.

‘Urban small-scale manufacturers’ refer to manufacturing businesses with fewer than 10 regular employees, characterized by high labor intensity based on skilled techniques and concentration in certain areas, as defined by the Small-scale Manufacturers Act. Seoul’s urban small-scale manufacturers (74,594 establishments) account for 95% of Seoul’s total manufacturing businesses (78,642 establishments).

The city operates the ‘Seoul City Small-scale Manufacturers Support Portal’ to alleviate these field difficulties and enable easy access to ‘industry-specific support information.’

On the Seoul City Small-scale Manufacturers Integrated Support Platform, anyone can easily check various support policies and educational programs such as securing sales channels online and how to use automated equipment with just one click. It also provides a comprehensive view of projects supported by 29 Seoul City urban small-scale manufacturer support facilities aimed at strengthening their competitiveness.

Information is also integrated for 17 facilities operated by Seoul City, including the ‘Seoul Manufacturing Support Center,’ 7 facilities run by autonomous districts such as the ‘Gwanak Small-scale Manufacturer Clothing and Sewing Collaboration Center,’ and 5 privately operated facilities like the ‘Seoul Bongik Jewelry Small-scale Manufacturer Specialized Support Center.’

The ‘Seoul Manufacturing Support Center (formerly Seoul Solution Anchor)’ serves as a core hub space to provide customized solutions by industry, region, and growth stage for urban small-scale manufacturers. It acts as a hub for clustered industries and focuses on supporting the five biggest challenges currently faced by urban small-scale manufacturers: ‘automation of manual work, digital transformation, technical education, capacity building, and collaborative networking.’

Citizens who wish to start businesses or seek employment in fields such as beauty and fashion can also find the information they need. Various industry-specific education, available facility information, and job listings can be checked and applied for directly on the website.

Starting in the second half of this year, the education and equipment reservation functions, which previously required visiting individual websites of the Seoul Manufacturing Support Center, will be integrated into the ‘Seoul City Small-scale Manufacturers Support Portal,’ making it easier for anyone to use various shared equipment.

Along with enhancing accessibility to shared equipment at the Seoul Manufacturing Support Center, a one-stop system covering everything from reservations to satisfaction surveys will be established to increase efficiency and reliability not only for manufacturing industry workers but also for citizens.

Song Hojae, Director of Economic and Job Planning at Seoul City, said, “The operating principle of the ‘Seoul City Small-scale Manufacturers Support Portal’ is to make it easy to check various industry-specific information and conveniently apply for support.” He added, “We will operate it as a platform where urban small-scale manufacturers, who account for 95% of Seoul’s manufacturing industry, can find growth opportunities.”

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