The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that Minister Han Seong-suk visited Hana Metal, located in Namdong-gu, Incheon, on the 29th as the fifth destination of the policy site tour for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The policy site tour for small and medium-sized enterprises is a field activity conducted in a relay manner by the Minister of SMEs and Startups to visit key policy sites of the ministry and reflect the voices from the field into policies. So far, it has assessed the status of 'eradication of technology theft,' 'response to U.S. tariffs,' and 'the transition of small and medium-sized enterprises to AX and DX,' and this time aims to listen to the voices from the field regarding 'receiving fair payment for supplied goods.'
Hana Metal is a strong small and medium-sized enterprise with 29 years of experience in producing non-ferrous metal materials and electric plant equipment. Minister Han toured Hana Metal's production facilities and reviewed the achievements of the manufacturing innovation support project while encouraging those involved. Subsequently, a meeting was held to check the status of energy expenses, such as electricity costs, centered on root companies, and to gather opinions on the payment linkage system for supplied goods.
During the meeting, the attending root companies unanimously appealed that 'it is necessary to reflect electricity costs in the payment linkage system.' They stated that root industries, such as heat treatment, need to operate electric furnaces 24 hours a day to melt metals, and despite the recent surge in industrial electricity costs, this is not adequately reflected in payment for supplied goods, indicating a need for measures to alleviate the burden of energy costs.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that it will include energy costs in the application targets of the payment linkage system. Additionally, to address concerns regarding disadvantages such as transaction interruptions and to assist small and medium-sized enterprises that are reluctant to utilize the linkage system, it plans to target illegal actions such as forced non-linkage agreements and fragmented contracts. It will promote improvements to the system prohibiting acts that impose disadvantages, such as transaction suspensions, and strengthen infrastructure support, including one-on-one tailored consulting and the establishment of guidelines on linkage methods for energy costs, for companies that find it difficult to utilize the system.
Minister Han Seong-suk emphasized, 'The payment linkage system is not a system that favors either entrusted or commissioning companies, but is intended to share problems that were not anticipated at the time of contract signing,' and noted, 'In order for the expanded linkage system, which includes energy costs, to take root in the field, the interest and active participation of both entrusted and commissioning companies is essential.'
Meanwhile, according to a survey by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the payment linkage system, which has been implemented since October 2023 for major materials and supplies, shows that approximately 54% of general companies that are subject to the linkage system have signed linkage agreements for entrusted and commissioning transactions.