[Mid-sized Business Master Series] ④ Taerim Packaging's Jeong Woo-cheol... Expert in Equipment Automation and Safety

'30 Years at Taerim Packaging Since Joining in 1994, Master of Equipment Automation and Safety
Key Contributor to Taerim Packaging's Rise to No.1 with Expertise in Quality Control, Production, and Sales
"Do Not Deny Reality, Move Forward Once You Decide"'

"Do not deny reality, and strive with a positive mindset."

Jung Woo-cheol, the master of quality development and factory automation in the corrugated cardboard industry and the factory manager (director) of Taerim Packaging Siwha Plant, emphasized, "Rough waves make a skilled boatman. Don't give up just because it's tough now; diligently strengthen your fundamentals."

Jung Woo-cheol, Director of the Siwha Plant at Taerim Packaging, is explaining the equipment at the Siwha Plant.
[Photo by Kim Jong-hwa]

Manager Jung joined Jeil Industry's Gumi Plant in 1994. Jeil Industry, a paper production company under the Asia Group, was acquired by Taerim Packaging near the end of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) foreign exchange crisis in 1999. Manager Jung has devoted his passion to quality improvement and equipment automation at the same company for 30 years.

Born in 1966, he graduated from Yeungnam University with a degree in Chemical Engineering and worked for about a year at a company producing tile glaze. However, troubled by poor working conditions, he moved to Jeil Industry, which was looking for a technician with an industrial safety engineer certificate. His first assignment at Jeil Industry was managing the wastewater treatment plant. At that time, environmental issues were prominent, and wastewater treatment was almost fully automated, so there was not much work to do.

He managed that task for about a year, but half the time he was gripped by self-doubt, thinking, "Did I come here just to do this?" It was a youthful arrogance born of overestimating his abilities. Then one day, he received advice from Yang Myung-mo, the former Gumi Plant manager who had previously overseen the wastewater treatment plant: "What use is denying reality just because someone else's rice cake looks tastier? If you work with pride and a positive mindset, you will surely bear fruit."

Advice from a senior when complaining, "Did I come here just to do this?"

Plant Manager Jeong Woo-cheol standing in front of the Taerim Packaging booth at the Ilsan KINTEX, where the 2014 International Packaging Materials Exhibition was held in June.
[Photo by Jeong Woo-cheol, personal collection]

From that moment, his company life changed. He tried to learn as much as possible, and recognizing his determination, the company assigned him to quality control. Quality control involved overseeing the entire product process?from raw material receipt to final box shipment and after-sales service (AS). Four employees handled an enormous workload, and his skills rapidly improved.

In 1997, he secured International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications, essential for exports and supplying large corporations. Under his leadership, the company obtained two ISO certifications: ISO 9001 for quality management systems and ISO 14001 for environmental management systems, qualifying the company to export worldwide. A staff member from the Korea Standards Association, responsible for ISO certification at the time, congratulated them, saying, "This is the first time in Korea that employees themselves led the ISO certification process."

After becoming part of Taerim Packaging, he focused on quality improvement, playing a pivotal role in elevating Taerim Packaging to the industry's top position. He went to other plants late into the night to repair equipment or systems for handling defective products, patiently explained systems to employees who did not fully understand them, and taught smooth operation methods for unfamiliar equipment.

After 16 years in quality control, when he visited the field, problems and solutions came to mind simultaneously. Mastering overall quality control improved production efficiency when he was entrusted with production processes. He established the ISO system in production, eliminating unnecessary steps and increasing productivity per employee.

Outstanding in sales as well, brought back a client abandoned by all within a year

Jung Woo-cheol, Plant Manager (Director, far left in the photo) of Taerim Packaging Siwha Plant, took this photo in March 2017 after climbing Yongbongsan in Gumi while working at the Gumi Plant, together with members of the company club.
[Photo by Jung Woo-cheol, private collection]

He also demonstrated exceptional sales skills. Even clients that all his seniors had given up on were persuaded to resume business after a year of persistent efforts. From his perspective, the purchasing manager of that client was someone he already knew, so it seemed like a manageable issue.

He waited in front of the company before work in the morning and after work in the evening. Having already identified product issues during quality control and knowing the solutions, he steadily persuaded them. Since another company's products were already in use, they adopted a dual strategy to include their products alongside, successfully re-entering the client’s supply chain. Although it took longer than expected, the minimum realistic period for the client’s representative to open up was one year.

His capabilities became widely recognized, leading to numerous lecture requests. He gave several talks on quality control at Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and others. While it was unusual for a mid-sized company executive to lecture at large corporations, he found sharing his experiences with many people enjoyable. This also helped sales, as Taerim Packaging gained a reputation in the industry for producing excellent products through thorough quality control.

Consequently, Taerim Packaging’s box specifications began to become industry standards. Few companies had the equipment and custom production capabilities to manufacture large boxes for Samsung and LG Electronics’ large TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines. Taerim led in equipment, technology, and reputation.

At Taerim Packaging Siwha Plant, two corrugators worth 10 billion KRW each are in operation. These are large-scale machines with a width of 2800 sheets. Competitors and other Taerim plants have a maximum width of 2500 sheets. The 2800-sheet corrugator can accommodate raw paper 2.8 meters wide, producing corrugated cardboard at a speed of 330 meters per minute.

Hit with the octagonal box, TIPA support for factory automation

Jung Woo-cheol, Director and Factory Manager of Taerim Packaging Siwha Plant, is explaining a box just before it is packaged as a finished product.
[Photo by Kim Jong-hwa]

Taerim Packaging’s hit product is the 'octagonal box.' It is the packaging box for CJ Hetbahn and Ottogi cup noodles, produced only by Taerim Packaging in Korea and supplied to major companies such as Nongshim and Lotte Beverage. Nowadays, production is 100% made-to-order. Customers send design blueprints, and Taerim Packaging manufactures accordingly.

Factory automation is essential for producing large packaging boxes and special-purpose boxes like the octagonal box. The production line must be adjusted according to the design, and systems capable of inputting raw paper, adhesives, and ink matching specifications must be in place. In this process, Taerim Packaging received 200 million KRW in policy funds in 2022 from the Small and Medium Business Technology Information Promotion Agency for smart factory advancement. In August, Director Kim Young-shin visited the Siwha Plant, toured the factory automation system, and offered encouragement.

Manager Jung explained, "Our factory automation is far ahead of competitors. Thanks to this, Taerim Packaging and its five affiliates, including Jeonju Paper, are well vertically integrated to handle the entire process with their own products."

His motto is 'Yeokjisaji (易地思之)'?to put oneself in another’s place. In the late 1990s, when a large corporation had product issues, they had to respond immediately to resolve them. At that time, there was a technical problem where the corners of finished boxes frequently tore. Manager Jung recalled, "In such cases, Company A harshly reprimanded its suppliers and withdrew deliveries, making things difficult for them. In contrast, competitor Company B comforted suppliers, saying that their survival was essential for their own, and helped solve the problems."

(18) Despite being ignored or mocked by Company A, he never frowned and replaced products or resolved issues to maintain the business relationship. Company A’s business has since declined significantly, while Company B has thrived globally. He said, "I believe that corporate culture made the difference. I vowed not to act like Company A and strive to practice this in daily life."

A versatile sportsman who is gentle with poor performers but strict about safety rules

Jung Woo-cheol, Director of the Siwha Plant at Taerim Packaging, is being interviewed by Asia Economy in the Siwha Plant office.
[Photo by Kim Jong-hwa]

His philosophy is that "no matter how automated a factory is, human touch is always necessary." However, manpower is always insufficient. Even though the Siwha Plant is located in the metropolitan area, finding workers is as difficult as catching stars in the sky. The plant produces an average of one million boxes daily. Despite over 60% factory automation, fixed personnel are always needed, but due to labor shortages, about 15 to 17 daily workers are hired, most of whom are foreigners. This costs hundreds of millions of KRW monthly.

Therefore, he always tells employees to "practice Yeokjisaji." Although communication is difficult and teaching work is challenging, he emphasizes treating them as kindly as possible. His experience shows that productivity increases the more kindness is shown.

He is also strict about safety. Taerim Packaging does not allow entry without wearing safety helmets and shoes?a rule he established after visiting factories nationwide. Other paper companies still do not enforce wearing safety shoes and helmets. No matter how hot it is in summer, shirts must be tucked into pants to prevent entanglement accidents. Many foreign daily workers have been scolded by him for working with their shirts untucked in hot environments. He is gentle with underperforming employees but harsh with those who violate safety rules.

When he intervenes, he identifies why a line stopped and gets it running again. He rounds off corners to prevent clothes from catching, prohibits stacking items in aisles, and even built pedestrian bridges over moving lines. As a result, safety accidents caused by carelessness have almost disappeared recently.

His family lives in Gumi. When he was transferred from the Gumi Plant to the Cheongwon Plant in 2020, he lived as a weekend couple, but after moving to the Siwha Plant in 2022, he visits Gumi only once every two or three weeks. As a versatile sportsman, he has no rest on weekends. He is skilled in many sports such as table tennis, hiking, marathon, futsal, bowling, and golf, making him popular among acquaintances.

Manager Jung said, "Just as the first button is important when someone submits a job application and starts working at a factory, I give them a few days to decide whether to continue. If they feel it’s not right, I encourage them to find another path quickly. If they decide to stay, I tell them to do their best, and they will find great fulfillment." Those who remain are cared for as family until the end.

◆Words from the Master

If someone else’s rice cake looks bigger and tastier, only you suffer. Do not deny reality; work with pride and a positive mindset, and you will surely bear fruit. If it’s not right, giving up and finding another path early is also an answer. But once you decide, you must move forward. Rough waves make a skilled boatman. Don’t give up just because it’s tough now; study steadily and diligently strengthen your fundamentals.

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