LSIS Chairman Koo Ja-kyun. (Photos: LSIS)

LSIS Chairman Koo Ja-kyun always makes a point of stressing the fact that the 4th Industrial Revolution has emerged as not only a crisis, but also presents opportunities. He says companies should seize it as an opportunity to make a quantum jump. Koo urged his executive and staffers to secure key technologies on smart convergence solutions and create a “smart business environment” in advance to brace for winds of the 4th Industrial Revolution that are breaking down business barriers with super convergence, super connectivity, and super AI technologies.
LSIS is accelerating manufacturing reform by introducing smart factory technology. The company is stepping on the gas on the commercializing of key technologies in such new industries as energy storage system (ESS), micro-grid (MG) and energy management system (EMS).
The G wing of LSIS’s first business plant in Cheongju specializing in producing low-voltage circuit breakers and switches is outfitted with smart factory facilities that cover areas ranging from assembly to testing and packing. The plant automatically handles all things from ordering to production planning to equipment and component procurement.
LSIS has plunked down a combined 20 billion won for about four years since 2011 to build a smart factory regime. Thanks to smart factory technologies, the plant has seen daily production of low-pressure facilities soar from 7,500 units to 20,000 from reducing energy consumption more than 60 percent compared to previous years. It produces 39 kinds of products.
Smart factory technology has brought down fault ratios to 6PPM (Parts Per Million), global smart factory levels, while manpower for each facility has been halved, and half may be transferred to new facilities.
In April 2017, the LSIS plant in Cheongju launched a business of generating and selling power by connecting a 2MW photovoltaic power facility, a power conversion system and a battery. LSIS Chairman Koo said, “We have to rise to the future challenge to offer smart platforms now that the conventional businesses cannot guarantee future survival.” “Now, an era of information & communications convergence, is a golden opportunity,” he added.

An employee with LSIS looks into a power conversion system (PCS) for ESS.

LSIS’s Winning Orders to Supply ESS

LSIS won two projects to supply ESSs to consumer company plants consuming large amounts of energy in May, thus strengthening its presence in the Korean ESS market.
LSIS landed a 15 billion won order to build an ESS regime targeting five plants belonging to five subsidiaries of Samyang Group. The project calls for dedicating a 5MW power conversion system and a 30MW battery by July 31 before they are put into commercial operation in August. The project is expected to allow Samyang Group to have an effect of preserving energy worth an annual average of 1.34 billion won for 15 years and recoup the investment within six years.
In early May, LSIS also won a 15 billion won project to build an ESS regime from LS-Nikko Copper, a subsidiary of LS Group. The project calls for establishing an ESS solution with a 6MW power conversion system and a 36MWh battery at LS-Nikko Copper’s plant in Onsan. The ESS system is to be put into commercial operation until more than 15 years from August. The project is expected to allow LS-Nikko Copper to have an effect of preserving energy worth an annual average of 1.55 billion won and recoup the investment within six years.