On the 21st, the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) Jeonbuk Technology Practicalization Headquarters was conducting a noise test on a piece of machinery and equipment using advanced sound absorption equipment in the industrial complex of Gimje City, Jeollabuk-do. The subject of the test was not industrial machinery or military equipment, but a tractor. It was not that a government research institute had spare time to test agricultural machinery. It was a site for technological innovation aimed at the global agricultural machinery market worth over 200 trillion won.
As the agricultural population decreases and the area of farmland increases, tractors have become an essential item in modern agriculture because they can tow various agricultural machinery. To target the global tractor market, government research institutes, corporations, and local governments have joined forces in Jeollabuk-do. Thus, the Tractor Avengers were formed to enhance the technological competitiveness of local corporations.
KITECH is a government-funded research institute that supports technology development for small and medium enterprises. Since last year, KITECH has launched the 'Mega Program' to revitalize Korean manufacturing. This initiative aims to analyze the industrial strategies of local governments and the regional manufacturing industry to create ecosystems for core technologies, one in each region.
The KITECH Jeonbuk Headquarters has chosen 'agricultural machinery' as a strategic industry. This is the result of an analysis of what Jeonbuk can do best and what technologies the Jeonbuk headquarters possesses. Throughout Jeonbuk, including Iksan and Wanju, there are major domestic agricultural machinery corporations and their partners. In fact, agricultural machinery is a representative export item of the region. As of 2024, the agricultural machinery-related export value from Jeonbuk is $34.29 million (approximately 477 billion won). In terms of exports to the U.S., agricultural machinery ranks first by a wide margin.
The Mega Program began from the awareness that innovation capabilities are concentrated in the metropolitan area while regions lack sufficient innovation infrastructure, leading to a worsening imbalance between regions. Manufacturing, in particular, is a key foundational industry with stable job creation and ripple effects; however, there is a shortage of research personnel and technological infrastructure in local areas.
To address this imbalance, KITECH has designed regional-customized Mega Programs, using its advantage as the organization with the most regional headquarters among government-funded research institutes. Each headquarters has teamed up with local governments, leading corporations, regional universities, and partner companies to promote joint research and development (R&D) and talent cultivation. The goal is to create a virtuous cycle of regional specialized industries, talents, technologies, and jobs, enabling the regions to thrive again.
The research capabilities of the Jeonbuk headquarters are robust. There are 15 researchers with doctoral degrees, and many are specialized in agricultural machinery and systems. Deputy Minister Lee Sang-dae noted, "KITECH is practically the only place among government-funded research institutes researching agricultural machinery," adding that, "Since the establishment of the headquarters, we have collaborated with local corporations through internal projects and tasks." The Jeonbuk headquarters has also built large-scale process and testing certification infrastructure, which is difficult for small businesses to establish.
The Jeonbuk headquarters believes that the Mega Program can overcome the limitations of original equipment manufacturing (OEM). Several large agricultural machinery corporations based in Jeonbuk have grown primarily in the North American market, but they have long relied on OEM, which has limited their brand recognition. Domestic corporations are attempting direct exports to overcome the limitations of OEM. There is a pressing need for premium products that can succeed in the North American market.
The Mega Program has set a goal of developing a 'premium tractor' under its own brand, which can succeed in North America and Europe, instead of focusing on small agricultural machinery that has primarily been exported until now. It plans to develop models over 130 horsepower, which are considered the standard for tractors in the region, surpassing the current domestic main products in the 70-100 horsepower range.
Deputy Minister Lee Sang-dae stated, "When we think of agricultural machinery, it's easy to view it as merely a simple machine, but just like automobiles, it requires numerous advanced technologies to be integrated." He added that a partnership with TYM, a leading domestic agricultural machinery corporation based in Iksan, aims to produce premium tractors with global competitiveness.
The Jeonbuk headquarters plans to develop foundational technologies that are difficult for corporations to maintain continually, targeting North American testing. These include automatic transmission software, autonomous driving algorithms, welding optimization, and paint defect improvement. TYM is responsible for technology development, as well as vehicle assembly and planning of country-specific derivative models. As sales from derivative models begin, the sales of partner corporations producing parts will also rise, creating a growth ladder for the headquarters, TYM, and their partners.
Lee Kyung-hoon, an Assistant Deputy Director at the Iksan City Hall Economic and Industrial Department, stated, "There are at least 20 companies that are directly or indirectly connected to TYM, a leading corporation in Iksan," adding that, "The Mega Program will be practically beneficial for small businesses that have the technology but lacked capital to attempt R&D."
Smart factories and industrial artificial intelligence (AI) are also key pillars of collaboration. TYM's main products range from 20 to 130 horsepower. There is only one assembly line, but many country-specific derivative products lead to significant variations in productivity. The Jeonbuk headquarters is assisting in building smart factories to enhance productivity through process data analysis and schedule optimization.
Jeong Sam-seok, the Head of Team at TYM's Central Technology Research Institute's large and medium tractor team, said, "We have cooperated with KITECH on various technologies before, but in the Mega Program, we organize what technologies are needed by the corporations together with researchers from the planning stage, coordinating schedules and roles." He noted that, "Experts in the relevant fields can be deployed whenever necessary, making it economical and efficient."
Deputy Minister Lee Sang-dae explained that, "Researchers frequently travel the 30-40 minutes to and from the TYM factory, tracing defect causes from process data and repeatedly adjusting the line by incorporating optimization algorithms," adding that, "Researchers are able to accumulate practical know-how by experiencing the entire cycle from development to prototypes, mass production, and sales."
The Mega Program does not stop at product development. In line with the goal of achieving the first mass production by 2027, it will accompany the mass production and quality verification stages and also pursue market exploration in Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. Lee Sang-mok, the head of KITECH, is personally visiting Vietnam and Indonesia to expand overseas cooperation and discuss ways to attract outstanding foreign talent to the region. Simultaneously, there are plans to cooperate with local universities to cultivate master's and doctoral level talents, creating a virtuous cycle for young people to find jobs in local corporations.
The operational method is also noteworthy. KITECH, local governments, and corporations share funding and execute transparently based on a public accounting system. Phase 1 (until 2025) will be conducted with a total of 2.7 billion won, combining 1 billion won from KITECH, 1.5 billion won from TYM, and 200 million won from Iksan City. As the funding is centralized, a culture of 'discussing together and using together' naturally takes root instead of 'each doing separately.'
Participants in the Mega Program unanimously expressed that it should not be a one-time event but rather establish itself as a regular system. They argued that the program should be designed to flexibly allocate money and time according to outcomes related to mass production and sales of corporations, rather than focusing solely on research for papers and patents.
Deputy Minister Lee Sang-dae added, "If it operates stably within a framework of regularized systems, it could generate even greater synergy," noting that, "As automation becomes increasingly important with an aging population, we can respond through continuous collaboration."