An advisory specialist for Samsung Electronics' Smart Factory program, left, explains factory automation to an employee at WIZES, a tractor cabin manufacturer, in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, in this undated handout photo. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics has been empowering small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Korea through its Smart Factory program, sharing its manufacturing expertise and know-how with more than 3,600 companies over the past decade.
Under the goal of narrowing the gap between large companies and SMEs and revitalizing the industrial ecosystem, Samsung Electronics has been operating the program since 2015 as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
The program initially started as an effort to help SMEs in North Gyeongsang Province automate their manufacturing processes, but has since expanded into the Smart Factory 2.0 phase, broadening its scope to include market development, workforce training and technical support.
Since 2023, Samsung Electronics has also been operating Smart Factory 3.0, which also supports artificial intelligence (AI)- and data-driven manufacturing upgrades. Through the 3.0 program, the company invested 30 billion won over the past three years and is currently working with 10 municipalities across the country.
