Gyeonggi Daily Article of GigaVis

Automatic optical inspection tool 175 billion sales of a strong midsize company

[Gyeonggi Daily 2009-8-20]

“GigaVis’s main objective is to satisfy customers with advanced technology”

GigaVis directly designs, manufactures and installs AOI, which optically inspects printed circuit boards (PCBs) that serve to connect electronic signals from electronic products. G

In 2004, six members of Samsung Electro-Mechanical Engineers collected 100 million won in capital, and precipitously in just five years achieved the yearly sale revenue of 17.5 billion won, which was achieved last year. President Kim Jong – Joon pointed out ‘technology’ as the principal driving force of this development.

It is said that it has been important to focus on high-value-added products by fostering leading technologies aimed at overseas markets rather than domestic ones.

AOI is a complex technology that combines optical technology to acquire images such as illumination and optical system technology, image processing, inspection logic, motion control, mechanical design and assembly, vibration and noise suppression technology, CAD / CAM and computing.

A large scanner made of these technologies can be used to check the image of the PCB circuit as it was designed.

In addition to demanding technology and exposing key information fields of products, the remarkable development of GigaVis in the market with high entry barriers is an exceptional case.

The early members of the company, which had been in business for nearly 15 years at the time of the company’s establishment, was compelled to make the tough decision to start a business instead of finding comfort in their jobs owing to feeing a great sense of responsibility for the high-end tool they were developing.

“We thought that customers who purchased equipment of hundreds of millions of won should be independent to realize customer satisfaction such as A / S and upgrades for optimal usage, which was the key for the founding members to escape the life of a frog in a well, so to speak.

Oh Jae-hwan recalled the start of the lease container factory in Giheung, Yongin City,

He said he had begun collecting severance pay without funding, technology, and supplies, and said it was the most stressful time since the company was operating under a limited capital.

However, GigaVis, which has achieved sales of 4.5 billion won in the first year with its advanced technology, has focused on accumulating its technology such as establishing R & D center and ISO 14000 certification the following year.

Thanks to that, sales were down a bit, but he was confident that this was the driving force behind the jump.

In 2006, we released the latest InsPro S series, received the European Safety Standard Mark, and won the Jang Young-sil Award, the best technology in the field of technology.

It started to export to China in 2007, sales grew greatly to 12.5 billion won, and it was the first time in the world to launch the line width 7um inspection equipment with export to the Philippines last year.

In the end, GigaVis achieved $ 10 million in exports based on the boom in the electronics industry and achieved sales of 17.5 billion won, which enabled it to dominate the domestic market that foreign equipment occupied.

After leaving the rental warehouse factory, the company built a three-story headquarters building on the site of 1,000-pyung, Pyeongtaek Jinwi Industrial Complex.

This is the result of focusing on high-end products that require high-level technology rather than low-priced products.

Now, in the domestic PCB industry, no one can compete, and the company is in the leading position in the AOI field with Israeli companies in the foreign market, dealing with high-tech companies.

In addition to being a designer and engineer, most of the employees other than the 12 employees who research only in Gyeonggi-do, Gyeeonggi is also working on securing the technological capability by focusing on the engineer’s work as close to 60%

Because it is outsourcing to assemble the equipment to concentrate the workforce in the research, the company runs with a small number of only 32 persons.

“The idea of ​​a lifetime job has been lost to the IMF, but the goal is for employees who come to our company to stay with the family as much as possible,” he says.

We are giving employees incentives to maximize incentives and achievement through “3, 3, 4 rule” that corporate profits are set to 10, 3 to shareholders, 3 to employees, and 4 to reinvest in the company.

In addition, it is said that unusual scenery is unfolded as all the staff gathered and gathered the gift set which came in for the holiday for “ladder riding”.

Kim emphasized that technology is the driving force behind the company’s survival in the venture industry, which has been in the midst of a tumultuous venture. He said the government should spare no effort to help SMEs with technological capabilities that are not competitive with the world.

“We will develop better services with the technology to create the best products that our customers want, and we will work hard to raise our awareness of GigaVis in the global market and to take the top position in the world by overtaking our competitors.”

/ Lee Ji Hyun reporter jhlee@kgib.co.kr

Reporter: Ji Hyun Lee (jhlee@kgib.co.kr)