KyungwooSystech: Building a Safer and Smarter Workplace

Yong Jun Chang, CEO/CTO/PhD

Despite various safety regulations enforced by numerous employee welfare associations, fatal accidents are a recurring predicament across multiple industries, owing to the dynamic involvement of heavy-machinery, intense levels of ambient noise, and varying temperatures. According to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), the number of work-related accidents/deaths increased from 18 percent to 46 percent last year across different industries. Among the several types of industrial mishaps, collision accidents are one of the major causes of fatalities, due to the limited visibility or associated blind zones of heavy vehicles. Contrary to these shortcomings, wireless technologies such as Ultra-Wideband (UWB) have gained wide popularity and shown high potential for safety applications in the industrial arena owing to their low-cost and high efficiency. That being said, KyungwooSystech has dedicated itself to developing innovative solutions and setting new standards in the prevention of accidents and protecting employees in any industrial workplaces. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, the company has over 20 years of experience in developing and providing ICT-based automotive electronics solutions for construction equipment and industrial vehicles.

“Workers in factories, logistics warehouses, construction sites, or mines can get distracted and let their concentration levels deteriorate, because of environmental factors such as dimmed light, dust, or noise. Therefore, collisions caused by moving objects may occur,” explains CEO of KyungwooSystech, Yong Jun Chang. To reduce the risk of collision between pedestrians and moving vehicles in an accident-prone workplace, KyungwooSystech has developed an Intelligent Proximity Alert System (IPAS). The IPAS system continuously measures the relative distances between devices using UWB communication technology. When a pedestrian or vehicle approaches within a predetermined range, a sound or vibration alarm sets off to alert the driver of moving vehicles or pedestrians who carry the device. This helps machine operators and pedestrians to maintain safe distances at work and avoid mishaps. Furthermore, to sustain operational efficiency, KyungwooSystech has incorporated a proprietary Ad-hoc protocol and self-calibration features to omit the separate registration and calibration process. Such an approach allows customers to use the company’s system directly as an out-of-box, plug-and-play device and significantly improve the user’s convenience, even during continuous system operation.

As we spend a significant amount of time communicating with customers and naturally, it became more important to think about what problems were solved than how many items were sold

What differentiates KyungwooSystech from other competitors in the market is the company’s in-depth knowledge and two decades of field experience. All of KyungwooSystech’s products are manufactured by in-house staff within its facility. To facilitate early feedback and fixing of minor issues that arise during manufacturing or product testing stages, each product undergoes a series of robust testing and quality assurance checks before it is delivered to customers. “Thanks to early feedback, we were able to mitigate issues and settle in the market faster than other competing products,” elaborates Chang.

Over the years, as a first-tier vendor, KyungwooSystech has garnered a clientele of highly distinguished companies. Collaborations with some of these companies illustrate the effectiveness of KyungwooSystech’s solutions. For instance, Chang cites a case study, where Hyundai Motors interacted with KyungwooSystech. After experiencing several large and small crash accidents every year in their factory, Hyundai Motors installed the IPAS system on more than 3,000 forklifts in three of their manufacturing plants in South Korea. Post-installation, the incidents involving a collision accident within the installation area have reduced to zero. Satisfied with the outcome, Hyundai Motor continues to increase the installation of IPAS systems within its all factories as a measure to safeguard the company’s employees and avert future mishaps.

Since 2017, the company has operated a specialized brand for industrial safety, called 'KIGIS Safety Technology.' With the rise of new business models such as the p2p model embraced by companies such as Uber and Airbnb, Chang emphasizes the need for a new business model in the field of industrial safety. "We aim to provide the benefits of ICT-based industrial safety solutions regardless of the size of the company with a variety of business models, rather than a simple sales model," explains Chang. In the future, KyungwooSystech plans to provide a service model for SME customers with low purchasing power, and also provide analysis on collected safety data for large companies to help establish long-term policies. "As we spend a significant amount of time communicating with customers and naturally, it became more important to think about what problems were solved than how many items were sold," concludes Chang. Amidst the worsening situation of COVID-19 across the globe, experts predict the world of post the pandemic to be completely different with physical and social distancing becoming a norm in our daily routine. KyungwooSystech has recently launched a physical and social distancing solution using UWB technology to enable workers to work while maintaining a certain distance in the industrial area or workplaces. The company's solution is currently conducting trials with several companies in North America and Europe.