Koh Young Technology, experiencing a decline in earnings due to the manufacturing recession, is expanding into the medical robot business. The company’s medical robot, first introduced to the surgical field in 2020, is set to start global sales after laying the groundwork with approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this year and is expected to maximize profits from 2025.

Koh Young is a KOSDAQ-listed company that makes three-dimensional (3D) inspection equipment. It customizes equipment for more than 3,400 clients worldwide, including global giants like Tesla and Siemens. Koh Young’s inspection equipment is used in various advanced manufacturing sectors, such as semiconductors and displays, smartphones, automotive electronics, and military supplies.

Its main products are 3D Solder Paste Inspection (SPI) and 3D Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) systems, which account for 90 percent of its total sales. The 3D SPI checks if soldering on Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) is done correctly, and the AOI inspects if components are appropriately mounted on the soldered areas. They serve to detect defects in the manufacturing process and improve yields. Both products have been leading the global market share since 2013. The 3D SPI share exceeds 50 percent, and the goal is to raise 3D AOI to 50 percent.

Koh Young's 3D inspection equipment checks printed circuit boards. The 3D Solder Paste Inspection (SPI) system examines whether soldering is defective (left), and the 3D Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) system checks whether components are correctly placed on top. /Koh Young Technology

Koh Young was founded in 2002 by Koh Kwang-il, a first-generation robotics researcher, with his former colleague Dr. Koh Kyung-chul of KAIST. Starting with a capital of 1 billion won, the company has grown with annual sales of 200 billion won by launching the world’s first 3D SPI equipment. It has local corporations in China, Japan, Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia, with its headquarters in South Korea. The company operates four research centers under the CEO, investing over 20 percent of its annual sales in research and development (R&D).

Medical staff at Severance Hospital use KYMERO, the first domestically developed robotic equipment for assisting in brain surgery, during epilepsy surgery. /Severance Hospital

This year, Koh Young plans to find new growth engines by focusing on the medical robot business. Koh Young has developed KYMERO, a robotic brain surgery system that guides surgeons with target positioning and posture based on medical images of patients. It has the advantage of reducing surgery time and patient after-effects.

First introduced at Severance Hospital in 2020, KYMERO was supplied to three major hospitals in the second half of last year, each receiving one unit. It has been used in over 300 surgeries, and sales are expected to be higher this year than last year. The company is also pursuing approval from the U.S. FDA within the year.

According to Koh Young, the global market for neurosurgical robots is expected to grow from 2 trillion won in 2021 to 5 trillion won by 2028. “Following last year’s supply to St. Vincent’s Hospital and Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital, we recently signed a supply contract with Seoul National University Hospital, showing tangible results. With FDA approval this year and the expansion into overseas markets, we expect significant growth in sales,” a Koh Young representative said.