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“Even if people around me call me a fool, I believe we should help those in need.”
There is a business owner who lent his factory for free to a competing company whose factory was destroyed by fire, helping them get back on their feet. The protagonist of this story is Park Byung-tae (65), the CEO of Daeil Enterprise, a manufacturer of car spoilers (attachments to prevent car body lift) located in the Waegwan Industrial Complex in Chilgok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province. On August 1st, Kim Jae-wook, the governor of Chilgok-gun, presented him with a plaque of appreciation, saying, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Park for conveying the spirit of coexistence to the local community.”
In August 2021, Mr. Park received news of a fire in Buksam-eup, Chilgok-gun, where a car parts manufacturer “Company A” had completely burned down. Company A was also a supplier of spoiler products to Hyundai Motor, similar to Mr. Park’s. Some in the industry remarked, “It’s a tragic event, but isn’t it a good thing for you as a competitor?”
However, Mr. Park suggested to Company A, “We’ll lend you our factory, so come and work here at night.” In a conversation with this newspaper, he stated, “I didn’t want to turn someone else’s misfortune into a stepping stone for my own growth,” and added, “I thought it was only natural to help.”
At that time, employees at Mr. Park’s company were resistant to the idea. Lending their equipment to a competing company for free, and dealing with the space constraints of both companies sharing the facility, posed challenges. However, Mr. Park cleared his factory during the evening hours when it was not operational, allowing Company A’s employees to come in and continue production. He did this without charging rent, only receiving electricity fees during the night, and provided Company A with his entire factory and production line. Mr.Park stated, “Failing to meet delivery deadlines can harm the company’s credit rating and lead to losing orders to other companies, which can threaten their survival,” and added, “Company A had been in business for over a decade, and their situation wasn’t something I could simply ignore.”
During these four months, they had a “two families under one roof” lifestyle, with Mr. Park’s factory operating during the day and Company A’s factory at night. Initially, there were challenges, such as products and materials getting mixed up, and insufficient space to store products, which caused discomfort among the employees. However, over time, a cooperative atmosphere developed between the employees of both companies. By the end of that year, Company A had set up a new factory equipped with modern facilities and moved out. The company was back on its feet.
Good deeds, once again, led to good deeds. In December 2021, shortly after Company A’s recovery, another competing company, Company B, located in Jicheon-myeon, Chilgok-gun, caught fire. This time, Company A, which had received Mr. Park’s assistance, reciprocated by offering their factory to Company B, just as Mr. Park had done for them. Ultimately, Company B also succeeded in its recovery, and now all three companies are leading the regional automotive parts industry.
Mr. Park, originally from Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province, ventured into the manufacturing industry after graduating from the College of Engineering. During the early stages of his business, he manufactured products like TV cases but transitioned into spoiler production in the 1990s. In 1999, he founded Daeil Enterprise in Daegu, and the following year, he moved into the Waegwan Industrial Complex. Under his leadership, the company, which currently has an annual revenue of ￦13 billion, has grown to supply products to Hyundai and Kia, and it also exports to Toyota’s U.S. factories (US$1=￦1316).
“I grew up being taught to help my neighbors in need. My great-grandfather, who lived with us, used to invite people with Hansen’s disease to the house and feed them,” says Park. “The staff would say, ‘Let’s not do this again,’ but if a similar situation arises, I think we will help them again.”
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