KogeneBiotech and SolGent are both small, Korea-based makers of virus test kits. During the latest months the two companies have been struggling to meet the demand – even after reallocating resources to help with production – also because their manufacturing processes required large amounts of manual labor. In order to help their operativity, Samsung has sent electronics maker dispatching teams of manufacturing experts to the companies to help them to find ways to boost productivity. The Samsung experts identified system inefficiencies and helped address production issues by optimizing container molds and improving logistics and packaging processes, while facilitating automation of certain parts of the testing kit production process. Following Samsung’s six-week-long assessment and improvement program, SolGent reported a 73 percent jump in productivity. KogeneBiotech is expected to increase output by 79 percent when it finishes implementing the suggested upgrades at the end of August.
«With its potential to drastically improve processes for the greater good – they say from Samsung – Samsung’s Smart Factory program demonstrates the importance of collaboration between SMEs and companies with significant scale and expertise.»
