fltr: Lee Sangmok, Executive Direktor of Korea National Root Industry Center; Klaus Middeldorf, Managing Director GSI mbH; Hee Seok Chang, President of Korean Welding and Joining Society and 1. Chairman of Korea National Industry Center.
The association "Root Industries" was founded to bundle and jointly deal with technology and research in small and medium-sized enterprises in six sectors.
fltr: Lee Sangmok, Executive Direktor of Korea National Root Industry Center; Klaus Middeldorf, Managing Director GSI mbH; Kozo Osakada, Japan Society of Technology in Plastic Industry; Hee Seok Chang, President of Korean Welding and Joining. Society and 1. Chairman of Korea National Industry Center.
Continuous access to research and innovation as a success factor for producing industry
On September 2, 2015, Dr. Ing. Klaus Middeldorf, Managing Director of GSI - Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbH (GSI), followed the invitation to Seoul on the occasion of the founding conference of the association called "Root Industries".
With five other sectoral organisations (foundry sector, cold forming, heat treatment, surface machining and plastics processing) in Korea, the Korea Welding and Joining Society (KWJS) has founded the association called "Root Industries" in order to be able to bundle and jointly deal with technology and research in small and medium-sized enterprises in these six sectors.
The incumbent President of KWJS is also the first elected President of the Korea National Root Industry Center. Not only GSI but also representatives from other countries were invited to the founding conference in order to speak about the significance of small and medium-sized industry in Germany and Europe. Interest centred, in particular, on the cooperation forms of small and medium-sized enterprises and on their economic and political significance.
In his lecture entitled "Conventional manufacturing technologies - Small and medium-sized enterprises - Root industries in Germany", Dr. Ing. Klaus Middeldorf examined the significance of small and medium-sized industry for the economic development in Germany - particularly for producing industry.
Amongst other subjects, the significance of the Research Association of the German Welding Society (DVS) and the effective method of the Federation of Industrial Research Associations (AiF) were presented with the joint industrial research system which has proven its worth for decades. This is a particular example of how, as a result of continuous promotion and continuous cooperation, it is possible to jointly deal with essential research questions relating to production technology and to derive advanced innovations and sustainable economic success for the small and medium-sized enterprises from them. In particular, this effect became visible using the example of the important subject field of "Sustainability in welding technology".
The lecture met with keen interest amongst the participants in the founding conference. Beyond the reproduction of the lecture transparencies in the proceedings of the conference, it is planned to publish the lecture in the Korean trade journal called "manufacturing". An English version of this presentation including the lecture transparencies is available upon request.
The most important objectives for the newly founded association will now be to organise stable partnerships amongst the participating enterprises, suitable research establishments and other organisations and to open up continuous access to research and innovation for these if at all possible. For this purpose, representatives of KWJS and GSI have agreed upon further close cooperation and support.
DVS - German Welding Society and GSI - Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbh have been affiliated with the Korea Welding and Joining Society in a friendly and partnership-based way for many years not only as members of the International Institute of Welding but also due to joint projects and the utilisation of teaching and learning documents in the English language.
Contact: Klaus Middeldorf