Major software (SW) corporations in Korea recorded growth in the first half of this year, continuing strong performance. All SW corporations in fields such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), office platforms, and supply chain management (SCM) succeeded in achieving revenue growth and improved profitability. Analysis indicates that the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and the transition to cloud services, in line with the acceleration of digital transformation (DX), acted as key drivers.
According to the industry on the 18th, Douzone Bizon, a leading domestic enterprise resource planning (ERP) corporation, reported revenue of 204.4 billion won and operating profit of 46.8 billion won in the first half of this year. This represents increases of 5.4% and 43.6%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. Douzone Bizon explained that performance improved as its business platform-centric product portfolio was completed and its customer base expanded due to the transition to AI and cloud technologies. Notably, the AI-based business platform "One AI" secured contracts with more than 4,400 corporations within a year of its launch, boosting profitability.
YoungLimWon Soft-Lab, which is steadily expanding its market share in the ERP sector, also recorded revenue of 35.7 billion won in the first half, an increase of 31.1% over the same period last year. The operating profit was 1.34 billion won, marking a turnaround to profitability. In the constructed ERP institutional sector, it achieved revenue of 11.63 billion won, growing 43.3% compared to the previous year. It is interpreted that demand for ERP integrated system construction from public institutions and private corporations has increased, thereby expanding the order size. Additionally, the company noted that supplying solutions incorporating AI-based management analysis and automation functions to corporations promoting DX effectively drove performance.
Another ERP corporation, Snet Systems, reported revenue of 171.3 billion won and operating profit of 1 billion won in the first half. While revenue decreased by 3.1% compared to the same period last year, operating profit succeeded in turning a profit, improving profitability. The company attributed this to stable business operations centered on existing core customers and winning large projects from affiliated companies. Notably, it conducted integrated maintenance projects in the commercial sector for its affiliate Gooders Data and expanded existing businesses targeting large manufacturing customers of Gooders Smart Solutions, which impacted performance.
In the office platform market, Hancom reported revenue of 147.3 billion won and operating profit of 24.9 billion won in the first half. Revenue increased by 1.5% year-on-year, while operating profit decreased by 5.6%. This decline in operating profit is attributed to weakness in the manufacturing sector. In the SW sector, revenue was 97.5 billion won, and operating profit was 31.1 billion won, each increasing by 15% compared to the same period last year. Hancom unveiled "Hancom Docs AI," "Hancom Assistant," and "Hancom Pedia" last year, and this year is expanding its AI business by launching a personal version of "Hancom Assistant."
Polaris Office, a competitor in the office platform sector, reported revenue of 154.2 billion won and operating profit of 5.6 billion won in the first half. Revenue increased by 28% compared to the same period last year, while operating profit saw a decrease of 7% in the same timeframe. Notably, both B2C (business-to-consumer) and B2B (business-to-business) sectors in the SW segment continued their growth, increasing by 11% year-on-year.
In the supply chain management market, emro reported revenue of 42.68 billion won and operating profit of 1.12 billion won in the first half, marking the first time in history that cumulative revenue for the first half surpassed 40 billion won. emro attributed this to the construction of purchasing systems centered on large corporate clients and increased adoption of AI solutions. In the first half, emro's software license revenue was 3.73 billion won, a 13.1% increase from the same period last year. Royalties and cloud service fees also increased by 26.3% and 9.2% year-on-year, reaching 7.54 billion won and 2.77 billion won, respectively.
SW corporations are expanding their business scope beyond simple system construction to include AI-based data analysis and automation solutions, as well as cloud services utilizing high-performance computing. In particular, they are securing a stable revenue base by strengthening cooperation with traditional large-scale demand sources such as public institutions, the financial sector, and manufacturers, and at the same time absorbing the growing demand for AI and cloud in the private market.
An IT industry insider noted, "With companies actively adopting AI recently, domestic SW corporations showed strong performance," and added, "As the industry typically demonstrates improved performance in the second half compared to the first half, these corporations are likely to see further growth in the latter half of the year."