Robostar (CEO Kim Jung-ho) has won orders for robots that transfer and load large size of panels from Chinese markets. This company produces robots for display, normal industrial manufacturing and electronic component manufacturing. In last year, it made its biggest sales of $121 million (135.7 billion KRW) in company’s history and is expected to make even better performance this year.
Not only Robostar has supplied its robots to South Korean panel manufacturers but it also recently supplied its robots to Chinese panel manufacturers such as BOE and CSOT. It has supplied its robots to South Korean panel manufacturers and Chinese panel manufacturers because LCD and OLED facility investments are very active in South Korea and China.
Robostar supplies its robots to panel manufacturers and equipment manufacturers. Transferring and loading robots are used as major components in display process. Robots with high degree of precision are needed to safely transfer large panels.
Panel manufacturers either purchase these robots directly or request equipment manufacturers to order particular robots. Sometimes equipment manufacturers purchase robots directly and supply them along with equipment to panel manufacturers.
Half of Robostar’s sales come from display markets and the other half comes from industrial robots for general industries and robots for IT fields such as cellphone components and LED and component manufacturing. Robostar was established in 1999 and it jumped into robot markets for displays in 2005.
Starting from this year, Robostar is going to focus its capabilities into display markets because facility investments are very active in South Korea and China. Although Japanese companies are well known in this field, Robostar’s technical skills are also formidable.
“It has been 10 years since we have been in display markets.” said a representative for Robostar. “We are going to make meaningful results this year based on potential that we have secured from 200 of our partners.”
■Summary of Robostar
▲Year of establishment: 1999 (CEO Kim Jung-ho)
▲Type of business: Machinery manufacturing company for special purposes
▲Number of employees: 227
▲Sales: $91.8 million (103.3 billion KRW) in 2013; $86.2 million (97 billion KRW) in 2014; $121 million (135.7 billion KRW)
▲Operating profits: $1.78 million (2 billion KRW) in 2013; $1.78 million (2 billion KRW) in 2014; $8.80 million (9.9 billion KRW)
▲Major products: robots for loading glass and wafer, vacuum robots, fine stage, high-speed aligner
▲Major businesses: industrial robots, display equipment, manufacturing equipment for IT parts
Staff Reporter Bae, Okjin | withok@etnews.com