The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal'

  • 3

    Hybe's new boy group Boynextdoor aims to be 'one and only' presence in K-pop

  • 5

    Memorial Day 2023

  • 7

    Korea eyes launch of 4th Nuri space rocket in 2025

  • 9

    Brave Girls to restart activities under new name

  • 11

    Japanese destroyer flies controversial flag as it arrives in Korea for joint drill

  • 13

    Top 20% of income earners fuel increase in Q1 consumption as pandemic ends

  • 15

    Local governments appeal to young generations through YouTube

  • 17

    Purported N. Korean 'space launch vehicle' falls into West Sea after 'abnormal' flight: S. Korean military

  • 19

    Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists

  • 2

    Seoul on alert over Pyongyang's imminent spy satellite launch

  • 4

    ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood'

  • 6

    Korea's household debt-to-GDP ratio highest among 34 major economies

  • 8

    Seoul City erroneously sends emergency alert after NK launch

  • 10

    Vietnam emerges as major market for Korean chipmakers

  • 12

    ANALYSISChina's ban on Micron tests Washington-Seoul alliance

  • 14

    Korea's diplomacy put to test amid signs of thaw in US-China relations

  • 16

    Rapper Mino attends sister's wedding in U.S. amid military service

  • 18

    'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' raises bar with epic battle scenes

  • 20

    Police brace for massive union protest

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
Wed, May 31, 2023 | 10:29
Tech
Samsung expediting smart factory for home appliances
Posted : 2017-04-19 20:02
Updated : 2017-04-19 21:05
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Samsung Electronics employees assemble parts for an air conditioner at the company's manufacturing line in Gwangju, Tuesday. The company has replaced the conveyor belt manufacturing system with the modular production method in which a veteran worker takes charge of a product from assembly to performance check. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics employees assemble parts for an air conditioner at the company's manufacturing line in Gwangju, Tuesday. The company has replaced the conveyor belt manufacturing system with the modular production method in which a veteran worker takes charge of a product from assembly to performance check. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

By Yoon Sung-won

GWANGJU ― Samsung Electronics is pushing to establish smart factory environments to boost the manufacturing efficiency of premium home appliances.

The nation's top electronics company has produced refrigerators, washers and dryers at its three complexes in this city. In particular, air conditioners and air purifiers, which have seen a sharp increase in demand between spring and summer in Korea, are being made here.

Starting this year, Samsung introduced robotics, a three-dimensional (3D) scanner, integrated machine control and the internet of things technologies for the unmanned and automated manufacturing environment. The company plans to complete the smart factory project by 2020.

"Under the smart factory project, we have pushed to automate the manufacturing process, tapping into technologies such as robotics. We have already seen a 25 percent improvement in productivity," said Lee Kye-bok, head of the air conditioner manufacturing group at Samsung's Gwangju plant.

Samsung Electronics is using the 3D vision cameras to automatically scan a product's external defects such as scratches and color differences.

"The use of 3D vision cameras has resulted in a 50 percent reduction in the rate of defects," Lee said. "The cameras are especially effective in detecting defects that are hard to see with the naked eye."

Diverse types of automated guided vehicles were carrying materials and parts between manufacturing machines. "The AGVs are designed to operate following either digital code signs over the workplace, guidelines on the ground or GPS signals, without human control," Lee said.

For the air conditioner and air purifier manufacturing lines at the Gwangju plant, Samsung Electronics has abandoned the conveyor belt system and adopted what it calls "modular" manufacturing since 2013.

In the modular manufacturing system, a veteran worker takes charge of his or her cell and thoroughly oversees the production process all the way through to the performance check stage, according to Lee. The company said six of its manufacturing lines have 14 production cells each.

"Establishing a smart factory is a complex task," Lee said. "We are concentrating on introducing advanced quality control methods to the fully automated manufacturing system to free it from quality issues."

Samsung Electronics is also operating a precision molding development center, which it claims is Korea's top research facility for mid- and large-sized molded parts for home appliances. It develops and produces external covers and metallic structures of Samsung's premium devices such as large-sized televisions, refrigerators, washers and air conditioners.

"This facility has the highest level of molding technologies among all our home appliance manufacturing bases around the globe," a Samsung Electronics official said. "We develop highly sophisticated moldings here to distribute to overseas manufacturing bases."

The company is also introducing smart factory technologies to the precision molding development and production facility.

"At this center, we are using technologies such as robotics and radio frequency identification, aiming at establishing a plant that runs without human workers around the clock by 2019," said Choi Sung-wook, an official at the precision molding development center. "This process is already helping us cut lead time between operations and reduce costs."

The facility also has advanced laser patterning machines that can make highly complicated patterns and the curved external designs of home appliances. "We are cooperating with Germany's Volkswagen for this technology, which is very rare in Korea," Choi said.


Emailyoonsw@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
wooribank
Top 10 Stories
1Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists
2Big businesses face growing union pressure to extend retirement age Big businesses face growing union pressure to extend retirement age
3Running convenience stores becomes popular among people in 20s, 30s Running convenience stores becomes popular among people in 20s, 30s
4Anti-corruption watchdog set to investigate crypto assets of lawmakers Anti-corruption watchdog set to investigate crypto assets of lawmakers
5Naver suffers shrinking online search market share Naver suffers shrinking online search market share
6Sluggish exports behind weak Korean won Sluggish exports behind weak Korean won
7Seoul resident clashes with authorities for raising dogs to nab 'North Korean spies'Seoul resident clashes with authorities for raising dogs to nab 'North Korean spies'
8Pyongyang may have delayed spy satellite launch due to technical issues Pyongyang may have delayed spy satellite launch due to technical issues
9Doctors, pharmacists to receive 30% bonus for offering telemedicine service Doctors, pharmacists to receive 30% bonus for offering telemedicine service
10HanmiGlobal to monitor building of 80,000 houses for Neom construction workers HanmiGlobal to monitor building of 80,000 houses for Neom construction workers
Top 5 Entertainment News
1'Elemental' director on bringing his personal story of immigration to cinema 'Elemental' director on bringing his personal story of immigration to cinema
2SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal' SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal'
3ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood' ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood'
4'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' raises bar with epic battle scenes 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' raises bar with epic battle scenes
5[INTERVIEW] Long-awaited extension of Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale to be pushed forward INTERVIEWLong-awaited extension of Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale to be pushed forward
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group