[Sponsored Report] Kitech fuses eco-friendly engineering with cost efficiency

Kitech is a government-funded research institute based in Cheonan, South Chungcheong. Its core research areas include root industry technology, manufacturing systems technology and industry convergence technology. Provided by the company

The Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (Kitech) is a government-supported research institute under the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. The institute, based in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, serves to support small and medium enterprises by specializing in the commercialization of industrial technologies.

Since it was established in 1989, Kitech has focused on developing application technologies, helping SMEs adopt them at industrial sites and revitalizing local industries by providing support. It also plans and manages national projects for industrial technology development.

The research institute has been allocating most of its resources to research areas essential for strengthening manufacturing competitiveness. The three key research areas include root industry technology, manufacturing system technology and industry convergence technology.

Root industry technology refers to six core process technologies - casting, molding, plastic processing, welding, surface treatment and heat treatment - which are essential for turning raw materials into processed materials and then into industrial components.

At its Root Technology R&D Center in Songdo, Kitech has been strengthening the parts and materials supply base for key national industries such as shipbuilding, automobiles and IT. Achievements in this area include the development of alloying technology for Eco-Magnesium and Eco-Aluminum, and multi-wire saws made of sapphire for LEDs.

Kitech has also been focusing on manufacturing systems technology. The research institute has been leading the environmentally-friendly trend of the domestic manufacturing sector while also pursuing cost efficiency. Through the development of gasified combustion technology with ultra-low nitrogen oxide emission and high efficiency, as well as cool storage systems using phase-change material (PCM), Kitech is contributing to improving energy efficiency.

The third area of Kitech’s research is in industry convergence technology, which merges old and new technologies to create new markets and nurture new growth engines. By applying fresh technologies such as IT, biotechnology and nanotechnology to existing technologies as part of creative research and development, Kitech has been strengthening existing industries and building new growth engines for the future.

Kitech also has regional bases in areas with high business density, such as Incheon, Gwangju, Busan and Daegu. The regional bases serve two roles of research and support; conducting R&D in areas closely related to specialized industries in each region, and providing support by transferring the new technologies to production sites.