SNT Group (SNT Holdings), which has grown around defense, auto parts, and energy businesses, marked its 46th anniversary on 12th and declared a transformation into a robotics corporations. The company aims to leverage the precision machinery expertise built on a traditional manufacturing base to take the lead in future industries such as medical, military, and logistics robots.
According to the business community on 17th, SNT Group established a new corporation, "SNT Robotics," in Jul. and entered the industrial robot manufacturing business. Its strategy is to focus on special-purpose robots such as military robots, rehabilitation and medical wearable robots, and logistics automation robots by integrating technologies accumulated in defense and auto parts.
Chairman Choi Pyung-kyu of SNT Group said in the anniversary address, "We must lead the era-defining shift of digital transformation (DX)," and added, "We must continue a bold challenge to create new value by fusing our core strengths in precision machinery and electronic control technologies."
SNT Group is also speeding up efforts to create synergy with SMEC, a KOSDAQ-listed company. SNT Holdings is the largest shareholder with 8.18% equity in SMEC, and Chairman Choi also holds 6.56% in his personal name. The group drew a line, saying it was "a simple investment unrelated to management rights," but the market is placing more weight on the possibility of consolidation with the new robotics business.
SNT Group, which began in 1979 as Samyoung Machinery Industrial Company, expanded into defense and auto parts by acquiring Tongil Heavy Industries and Daewoo Precision. Centered on the holding company SNT Holdings, it has grown by operating SNT Energy, SNT Motiv, and SNT Dynamics.
SNT Motiv is targeting the eco-friendly powertrain market by supplying electronic oil pumps and electric vehicle drive motors for Hyundai Motor and Kia's Sonata, Grandeur, and Ioniq 5. It also produces the main small arms of the Korean military, including the K2 rifle, K5 pistol, and K3 light machine gun, as well as the K16 machine gun and K14 sniper rifle.
SNT Dynamics supplies core modules for major weapon systems such as the K2 tank and K9 self-propelled howitzer, while SNT Energy provides plant equipment such as heat exchangers, heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), and SCR systems. In particular, the SNT Gulf plant in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, produces air-cooled heat exchangers at an annual scale of 3,000 units.
SNT Group is also accelerating its push into the North American market. Recently, it acquired a 330,000-square-meter (100,000-pyeong) factory site in Louisiana, United States, which it plans to use as an integrated production base for auto parts and energy. A group official said, "By producing locally, we will reduce tariff burdens and strengthen our responsiveness to customers, accelerating our attack on the North and Central American market."