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Machinery

Home > Information > Korea Economy > Machinery

  • Overview
  • Industry Characteristics

Machinery

Overview

A relatively high growth rate of 12.2% in production of machinery stems from strong exports on rising demand from within and without the country, including China in particular.

  • From 2000-2007, domestic demand had remained at a relatively high growth rate of 9.8%.

At an annual average growth rate of 18.2%, machinery has showed signs of continued increase in export since 2000, topping US$25 billion in 2007.

  • This increase is due to growth in exports on the back of higher demand for facilities in developing countries like China and India, together with improved performance of Korean machinery and consequently, a continued increase in exports to advanced countries like the U.S. and those within the EU.

The prospect that exports will likely slow down is based on concerns that exports to China, which has been the largest recipient since 2000, are forecast to decrease.

  • However, a potential free trade agreements with the 27 countries in the EU will likely play a role in further expanding exports if it, along with the Korea- US FTA, is executed and takes effect.

In contrast, the outlook for exports to Japan still remains bleak despite improved economic conditions there, as areas where Korea has a competitive edge over Japan are limited, aside from such items as molds.

Changes in Supply-Demand Structure in the Machinery Industry in Korea

(Unit: US$ million)

 
Changes in Supply-Demand Structure in the Machinery Industry in Korea
2000 2004 2006 2007 Average Annual Growth Rate (%)
(’00 - ’07)
Production 31,766 48,331 63,537 71,260 12.2
Import 11,103 14,686 18,747 21,219 9.7
Export 7,887 14,304 20,706 25,383 18.2
Domestic Demand 34,981 48,712 61,578 67,096 9.8
Employment1)(thousand persons) 247 273 279 285 2.1
Dependency on Import (%) 31.7 30.1 30.4 31.6
Trade Specification Index -0.17 -0.01 0.05 0.09

Notes :

  • 1) Source: Ministry of Labor (MOLAB)
  • 2) Dependency on Import = (Import/Domestic Demand) x 100, Trade Specification Index = (Export-Import)/(Export+Import)
  • 3) Production and employee numbers are computed by KSIC 29 (Machinery) - KSIC2951 (Home Appliances) - KSIC 2952 (Household Non-Electric Cooking and Heating Appliances)
  • 4) Production and employee numbers for 2006 and 2007 are estimated on the basis of annual average growth rate (2000-2004).

Although growth in imports remains at a single-digit rate (annual average of 9.7%) as the import-dependent structure for key parts has improved to a certain extent, imports for 2007 stood at US$21.22 billion, thus exceeding US$20 billion for the first time.

In the international trade arena, Korea's chronic adverse trade balance returned to almost zero in 2004, showing signs of continued improvement since then. Trade surplus amounted to US$1.96 billion in 2006 and surged to US$4.16 billion in 2007.

  • Trade specification index by year is -0.17 ('00), -0.06 ('02), -0.01 ('04), and 0.09 ('07).

Trends in Trade Specification Index by Year in the Machinery Industry

Trends in Trade Specification Index by Year in the Machinery Industry

  • 90 -0.78
  • 91 -0.78
  • 92 -0.72
  • 93 -0.68
  • 94 -0.67
  • 95 -0.64
  • 96 -0.60
  • 97 -0.50
  • 98 -0.15
  • 99 -0.27
  • 00 -0.23
  • 01 -0.16
  • 02 -0.17
  • 03 -0.16
  • 04 -0.12
  • 05 0.3
  • 06 0.5
  • 07 0.8

In view of ROA, machinery stood at 5.45% as of 2006, while machine tools and heavy construction equipment, among key items, posted rates of 7.72% and 8.53%, respectively, both of which are well ahead of the machinery industry average.

  • On the other hand, agricultural machinery showed a low 2.06% in ROA largely because competition was growing fiercer in the relevant industry as domestic demand is based more on alternative sources of demand than a new ones.

From an ROE standpoint, machinery stood at 12.45% in 2006, while machine tools and heavy construction equipment, among key items, posted rates of 17.5% and 20.12%, respectively, both of which are also well ahead of the industry average. However, agricultural machinery showed a relatively low level in this regard.

In labor productivity based on value added per employee, machinery stood at KRW66.9 million on average, while heavy construction equipment posted KRW110.37 million, the highest among key items.

  • This can be attributed to the fact that heavy construction equipment is produced mostly by large firms, with a focus on excavators.
  • In contrast, machine tools posted a relatively low level of KRW63.5 million, mainly due to the fact that they are manufactured by both large and small/medium businesses.

Revenues and Assets of the Machinery Industry and Other Major Industries (2006)

 
Revenues and Assets of the Machinery Industry and Other Major Industries (2006)
Item Machinery Machine
Tools
Heavy
Construction
Equipment
Agricultural Machinery
No. of Manufacturers 16,057 1,455 561 462
Employees (thousand persons) 327 24 13 9
Sales (US$ million) 49,723 5,260 4,511 1,440
Net Income (US$ million) 8,375 989 951 297
ROA 5.45 7.72 8.53 2.06
ROE 12.45 17.50 20.12 5.10
Labor Productivity
(value added per employee: US$1,000)
70.01 66.46 115.51 68.16
Liabilities (US$ million) 25,316 2,787 1,938 712
Total Assets (US$ million) 45,019 5,100 3,321 1,185
Export (US$ million) 25,383 2,036 5,286 116
Import (US$ million) 21,219 1,629 612 293
Balance (US$ million) 4,164 407 4,674 -177

Notes:

  • 1) "Corporate Management Analysis" (July 2007) by the Bank of Korea (BOK) for the Management Performance Indicators like Sales and Profit Ratio
  • 2) 2006 Average Exchange Rate: US$1 = KRW955.5

Over the past 3 years, machinery has expanded its trade surplus, while other key items showed significant differentiation among themselves.

  • Machine tools, the heart of industrial facilities, were in the red until 2006, and then turned to black for the first time in 2007, while agricultural machinery posted a low level of less than US$200 million in annual deficit, remaining in negative territory.
  • However, heavy construction equipment has continued its trade surplus over the past 3 years.
  • In 2007, trade surplus reached US$4.67 billion on strong growth in exports on the part of major excavator makers like Doosan Infracore and Hyundai Heavy Industries, together with concurrent exports of parts to local factories in China.
Major Companies

The Korean machinery industry is composed of small and medium companies to the tune of 95%, although large firms lead the industry in production, export and technology development.

Major Companies in the Korean Machinery Industry

(Unit: KRW100 million)

 
Major Companies in the Korean Machinery Industry
Major Products Company Name No. of
Employees
Sales Capital
General-
Purpose
Machinery
Vessels·Industrial engines Hyundai Heavy Industries 25,958 90,845 3,800
Power/Industry Facilities Doosan Heavy Industries &
Construction
4,834 24,555 5,210
Air Pumps, Valves SC Engineering 330 1,225 127
Bearings Samik THK 292 1,126 105
Elevators, Escalators, Parking
Facilities,
Distribution Systems
Hyundai Elevator 1,143 4,409 357
Heat Exchangers, Pressure Vessels Daekyung Machinery &
Engineering
346 1,554 177
Machine
Tools
Machining Centers, Industrial Robots Doosan Mecatec 618 4,086 548
Machine Tools Hwacheon Machinery Works 288 1,419 110
Presses SIMPAC 161 438 130
Special-
Purpose
Machinery
Heavy Construction Equipment,
Machine Tools
Doosan Infracore 4,470 28,606 8,398
Trucks, Cranes Soosan Heavy Industries 185 566 252
Agricultural Machinery Tong Yang Mool San 670 2,440 327
Furnaces KIC 156 232 43
Textile Machines,
Chemical Machines
Samyang Heavy Machinery 97 221 62
Semiconductor-making Machinery Shinsung Eng 278 2,160 177

Overseas direct investment is primarily made by a handful of large firms such as Doosan Infracore and Hyundai Heavy Industries. In contrast, small and medium manufacturers tend to enter overseas markets as suppliers of relevant parts and materials in parallel with large firms.

Doosan Infracore, which represents the machinery industry, has been seeking a win-win partnership through strategic alliances (M&A) with foreign counterparts.

  • In July, 2007, Doosan Infracore acquired Bobcat, the world's leading multinational machinery enterprise, thus securing a new network of 2,700 dealerships in the U.S.
  • Doosan's goal was to boost global competitiveness through the sharing of technology and sales networks to gain a relative advantage.
  • Furthermore, the acquisition of Bobcat made the combined entity grow to become the world's 7th largest, up from 17th.

Company Profile of U.S.-based Bobcat

 
Company Profile of U.S.-based Bobcat
  Description
History Based in North Dakota, U.S.A., founded 50 years ago
Size - Global Business Operations: 5,800 employees and 73 corporations in 27 countries
- Sales: N. America 62%, Europe 27%, Other 11%
- 2,700 dealerships, 16 production factories, 9 R&D centers
Sales ·3 Business Sectors Acquired: sales of US$2.85 billion (2007 est.)
- Compact construction machinery: 74%
- Utility equipment: 19%
- Attachments business: 7%

The Effects of Strategic Alliance Between Doosan Infracore and Bobcat

 
The Effects of Strategic Alliance Between Doosan Infracore and Bobcat
Major Areas Expected Effects
Product ·Establish a full product line-up
·Ease revenue volatility by securing recurring revenue·
Market ·Secure a global sales/production base
·Secure a base for the creation of synergy effect in sales by region
Technology · Secure R&D resources and key parts technology
Intangible Asset · Brand, talents, advanced market management capability
Overall Build the foundation for Top 5 through global competitiveness
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
Overview of FDI

For fiscal year 2007, FDI in the nation's machinery industry totalled 91 cases worth US$309 million.

  • Since 1962, FDI in this industry has reached 1,942 cases worth US$5.17 billion on a cumulative basis.

In the manufacturing industry as a whole, machinery industry FDI accounted for 14.5% of all cases and 9.2% by amount as of end-2007.

  • According to investment amount by case, the machinery industry amounted to US$2.66 million, only 63.2% of the manufacturing industry average (US$4.21 million). This is because Korea's machinery industry is dominated primarily by smalland medium-size manufacturers and some large firms, as is the case in advanced countries like Germany.

Taken as a whole, the global investment environment is not favorable due to the subprime mortgage crisis, record high oil prices, and raw material price hikes. However, investment inflows into Korea are expected to grow if the investment environment gets visibly better, combined with expectations toward regulatory reform measures currently in progress under the new government.

  • Furthermore, it is predicted that the Korea-US FTA, if ratified, will lead American investors to invest more in Korea, targeting the overall Asian machinery market, as well as Korea's.
  • In addition, the U.S.-based multinational manufacturers are expected to establish their bases for production in Korea in an attempt to expand into the Asian market for heavy industries like heavy construction equipment and agricultural machinery, among others.

Investment in the Machinery Industry vs. Other Major Industry Sectors (notification basis)

(Unit: US$ million)

 
Investment in the Machinery Industry vs. Other Major Industry Sectors (notification basis)
2005 2006 2007 1962-2007
Cases Amount Cases Amount Cases Amount Cases Amount
Manufacturing 747 3,078 713 4,246 684 2,688 13,417 56,466
Food 32 327 18 60 16 8 697 4,178
Textiles 20 29 24 223 16 6 685 1,132
Paper·Timber 15 85 9 10 9 17 256 2,677
Chemicals 86 278 83 764 70 509 1,981 10,360
Pharmaceuticals 13 8 13 56 24 40 301 1,048
Non-metallic mineralsMetals 29 376 24 159 24 49 501 2,615
& 37 29 44 247 70 237 852 2,815
Machinery·Equipment 118 128 109 361 91 309 1,942 5,168
Electric·Electronics 252 1,041 241 1,803 205 930 3,846 18,813
Transportation machines 112 706 114 499 126 565 1,253 6,705
Other 33 72 34 64 33 18 1103 954
Total 3,668 11,565 3,107 11,240 3,559 10,509 39,678 137,288

Source: Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE), "2007 FDI" (Jan. 2008)

Major Foreign-Invested Firms in Korea (2007)

(Unit: KRW million)

 
Major Foreign-Invested Firms in Korea (2007)
Name Sales No. of
Employees
Location Standard Industry Code
Volvo Group Korea 1,612,468 1,378 Changwon, S. Gyeongsang Manufacturer of civil engineering and similar machine equipment
Schaeffler Korea 369,136 1,448 Seoul Manufacturer of ball and roller bearings
Carrier 302,096 870 Seoul Manufacturer of air conditioning and regulating devices
STX Enpaco 702,076 261 Changwon, S. Gyeongsang Manufacturer of internal combustion piston engines
Hyundai Elevator 564,581 1,185 Icheon, Gyeonggi Manufacturer of elevators and conveyor systems
Tong Yang Mool San 247,641 709 Seoul Manufacturer of agricultural machinery
Fanuc Korea 343,366 191 Gimhae, S.Gyeongsang Manufacturer of machines/tools
Otis Elevator 855,794 2,663 Seoul Manufacturer of elevators and conveyor systems
Abbott Korea 136,339 290 Seoul Manufacturer of medical and surgical equipment and orthopedic appliances
Applied Materials Korea 239,800 300 Cheonan, S. Chungcheong/td> Manufacturer of machines/tools
GMP 61,596 312 Paju, Gyeonggi Manufacturer of machinery and accessories for printing and bookbinding
Parker Korea 61,074 208 Hwasung, Gyeonggi Manufacturer of pumps and compressors
ABB 240,373 415 Seoul Manufacturer of ventilating machines
Hyosung-Ebara 129,464 257 Seoul Manufacturer of liquid pumps
TI Automotive 66,929 154 Cheonan, S. Chungcheong Manufacturer of liquid pumps
Engel Machinery Korea 36,457 51 Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Manufacturer of rubber, man-made fiber and plastic machinery
K.C. Tech 130,069 310 Anseong, Gyeonggi Manufacturer of semiconductor- manufacturing machinery
Lusem 213,254 332 Gumi, N. Gyeongsang Manufacturer of semiconductor- manufacturing machinery
Wilo Pumps 108,574 218 Gimhae, S. Gyeongsang Manufacturer of pumps and compressors
Ulvac Korea 237,548 390 Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Manufacturer of special purpose machinery

Source: Korea Enterprise Data (www.kedkorea.com), company data

Investment Trends by Major Item and Implications

Based on items such as general-purpose machinery, machine tools and other special-purpose machinery, FDI in the machinery industry differs somewhat in yearly trends according to the amount and item in which investment is made for the relevant year.

  • On a cumulative basis from 2006 to the first quarter of 2008, FDI in generalpurpose machinery accounted for 57.5%, the largest share by amount.
  • However, in view of the number of cases, special-purpose machinery amounted to 93 (41.3%) in total, the most, followed by general-purpose machinery with 84 cases (37.3%).

FDI by Major Item in the Machinery Industry (notification basis)

(Unit: US$ million)

 
FDI by Major Item in the Machinery Industry (notification basis)
Year 2006 2007 1Q 2008 Cumulative from 2006 to 1Q 2008
Item Cases Amount Cases Amount Cases Amount Cases Amount
Manufacturing
as a whole
3,107 11,240,395 3,559 10,514,105 864 2,715,369 7,530 24,469,868
Machinery·Equipment 109 361,129 91 309,053 25 69,854 225 740,036
General purpose
machinery
32 188,908 43 225,938 9 10,773 84 425,620
Machine tools 15 33,840 7 12,169 6 45,958 28 91,967
Other special
purpose machinery
47 133,307 37 67,488 9 8,840 93 209,635
Medical equipment 15 5,074 4 3,457 1 4,283 20 12,814

Source: Data from Investment Policy Division at MKE (Apr. 2008)

FDI by Major Industry Item (Cumulative from 2006 to 1Q 2008)

FDI by Major Industry Item (Cumulative from 2006 to 1Q 2008)

No. of notified cases

  • General purpose machinery 37.3%(84)
  • Machine tools 12.4%(28)
  • Other special purpose Machinery 41.3%(93)%
  • Medical appliances and instruments 8.9%(20)

Amount

  • General purpose machinery 57.5%(425,620)
  • Machine tools 12.4%(91,967)
  • Other special purpose Machinery 29.3%(209,635)%
  • Medical appliances and instruments 1.7%(12,814)

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