[2024 Seoul Creative Economy Innovation Center Interview 3] Ryu Jeong-sik, CEO of J-Innotech Smart Factory-Autonomous Driving Technology Convergence Research and Development A broad portfolio of technologies…Smart market target
This article was conducted on companies selected for the 2024 industry-specific innovation voucher support project. This project is a digital transformation support project that promotes practical digital transformation and secures its own digital execution capabilities for companies with demand for AI-based digital transformation. The project is a project of the Ministry of Science and ICT, which was dedicated to the Information and Communication Industry Promotion Agency for three consecutive years from 2022 and organized by the Seoul Creative Economy Innovation Center (hereinafter referred to as the “Seoul Center”), and this year, the LG AI Research Institute participated as a cooperative organization. This is an interview with CEO Jung-sik Ryu of J Innotek, an excellent industry-specific innovation voucher at the Seoul Creative Economy Innovation Center.
Q. Please explain what kind of business it is.
Founded in 2014, J Innotek has steadily grown by showing differentiated technology in the smart factory field, just like its mission, which means a combination of “Innovation” and “Technology.” In particular, it has established itself by providing solutions to high-tech industries such as semiconductors, displays, and secondary batteries based on its strengths in the software field. The award-winning awards, including Chungnam preliminary star company, global IP star company, excellent technology guarantee technology evaluation company, and innovative company, are proof of J Innotek’s technology.
Q. What is the representative product or service?
Major products developed and produced by our company are supplied to the smart factory field, and the software field is expanding its application to semiconductors, displays, and secondary batteries. Next-generation self-driving robots, foldable display equipment, and next-generation batteries are being developed as next-generation items.
The vision inspection equipment ‘Optic Mini’, which is the representative product of our company, is a device that accurately inspects the welding condition of leakage and electrolyte after secondary battery welding to select defective products. It is characterized by the simultaneous inspection of GTMS leakage and welding joints by fusion of vision technology and ultrasonic flaw detection technology. It is possible to analyze battery defects such as pinholes, soot, bleaching, cracks, and contamination, as well as surface analysis such as stamping, scratch, and pressing, and provides customized solutions according to various optical configurations, algorithms, and product sizes.
In addition, Korean companies are stepping up efforts to develop lithium-sulfur batteries, which are next-generation batteries, based on core patent technology. The lithium-sulfur battery with high energy density has had difficulty in commercialization due to technical difficulties, but it is taking the stage of commercialization by achieving world-class research results through its own technology.
It is also prominent in the field of logistics automation, a key element of smart factories. Beyond Over Head Transport (OHT) driving at high speed along the ceiling rail and automated guided vehicles (AGV) driving along the ground line, it provides automatic mobile robots (AMR) platform development and services that determine routes on their own and avoid obstacles, and provides essential solutions for smart factory construction.
Q. What do you think is the competitiveness of a company?
Unlike existing smart factory and traffic safety solutions in the form of simple input/output, our company is focusing on product development based on smart services. In particular, it has competitive technologies and customers in the OHT, AGV, and AMR fields, and is building differentiated competitiveness through industrial autonomous driving and collision prevention sensor technology development experience, rich technology experience of management, and technological innovation experience of the parent company.
In addition, it is actively utilizing government-supported R&D programs to produce prototypes and diversify markets for development technologies, and after selecting a global IP star company, it is striving to strengthen global market competitiveness by securing patents, participating in overseas exhibitions, and discovering overseas customers.
Q. I’m curious about your future plans.
Our company will use the results of research and development to apply for and register intellectual property rights, and focus on attracting existing customers and discovering foreign customers.
It is also planning various commercialization and market launch by applying it to the industrial autonomous driving system field. Through the development of new products, the goal of securing exports, increasing sales by more than 1 billion won in 2025, and creating jobs for more than 10 people has been set.
We intend to expand sales through promotion by preparing a plan for the creation and operation of the website for product promotion, and implementing technical consulting and promotion plan consulting.
J Innotek, which presents new possibilities for manufacturing innovation through the convergence of smart factory and autonomous driving technology, will grow into an essential company that reveals the future of Korean manufacturing through constant innovation and challenges.
Q. How does this ‘Innovation Voucher Support Project’ help?
If a company has the direction of manufacturing innovation and artificial intelligence innovation, I think an innovation voucher would be a very good idea. It has also become a device that broadens horizons in education and communication with employees.
The reality is that our companies are located in provincial areas, and talented artificial intelligence subsidiaries are concentrated in the metropolitan area, so they have no choice but to get help there. If there is a company that is concerned about the innovation voucher support project, please enjoy the benefits of increasing business connectivity and digital transformation through this project.