Where are the 100 places designated by the government for the first time?

Minister Park Young-sun "Actively fostering and supporting policies with Centennial Merchants"

Orion Foods, which has developed more than 100 types of food machines and has been nicknamed the 'Sindorim Inventor', has been selected as the first '100 Years Small Artist' by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 5th that it has selected 100 small craftsmen with craftsmanship and business history for more than 15 years for the first time.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups explained that they were selected across various industries, including 52 machinery and metal companies, 19 clothing companies, 8 printing companies, 8 food companies, and 13 other companies such as furniture, medical devices, watches, and pulp paper. Initially, 252 companies applied, showing a competition rate of 2.5 to 1.

Among the selected companies, Woojin Precision participated in the large-, medium- and small-sized coexistence smart factory project and established a production quality management system to establish an efficient smart management system such as timely confirmation of the cause of product defects and traceability of producers by process.

In addition, BGI, a printing company, is making efforts to revitalize the printing industry in various ways, such as researching the development of printing technology that combines high-definition printing of old art works such as Kim Hong-do and Shin Yun-bok and fusion with media images.

Hyangjeokwon, a food company, has been preserving its sauce manufacturing skills for three generations as a holder of various paste manufacturing skills such as gochujang and cheonggukjang. In addition, it is contributing to the development of the traditional sauce industry by operating sauce manufacturing experience learning for local tourists.

Selected companies are provided with a 100-year small craftsman confirmation and a certification signboard, and a 0.4%p reduction in the loan interest rate when using small worker-specialized funds (450 billion won this year) to replace production facilities or introduce automation facilities.

In addition, additional points are given when selecting various small business support projects, such as participation in domestic and international exhibitions, market development projects that support entry into online and offline malls, and product and technology value improvement projects that support labor costs and external experts needed for technology development.

Minister Park Young-sun attended the signboard hanging ceremony to commemorate the selection of a 100-year-old small craftsman held at the printing company 'Gel Planning' in Jung-gu, Seoul, and listened to the difficulties of small craftsmen.

The signboard hanging ceremony was attended by Seo Seo-ho, head of the Jung-gu District Office of Seoul, and Kim Han-sul, head of the Jung-gu Commerce and Industry Association of Seoul.

At this meeting, Minister Park said, “We will actively foster 100-year-old small merchants as a successful model for small merchants along with 100-year-old stores representing small merchants, and we will spare no policy support for the continued growth of small merchants.”

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to select additional 200 companies that are 100 years old this year.

Small merchants who wish to be selected as 100 Year Small Enterprises can submit an application to 34 small business specialized support centers nationwide or the Small Enterprise Market Promotion Corporation. In addition, starting this year, through the national recommendation system implemented by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, small craftsmen with excellent craftsmanship and excellent skills can be recommended to small craftsmen in the 100th year.

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◇Machine and metal industry