Kumho Eco-Tyre Development Team Wins Company Award

The Kumho Asiana Group has held its ‘5th Kumho Asiana Group Technology Awards Ceremony’ in South Korea. The ceremony in Seoul was attended by some 150 executives, including Kumho Asiana Group chairman Sam-Koo Park. This year the company’s technology award was presented to three employees from the Kumho Petrochemical rubber research team, along with team director Young-Hoon Koh. In total, ten teams were honoured with awards at the ceremony.

The team received prize money of KRW 20 million (£8,850) for the technology award, and each team member was given a medal to commemorate the achievement. Director Young-Hoon Koh of Kumho Petrochemical won his technology award after successfully developing a “material for highly dispersed silica tyres,” which has been employed in the company’s eco-friendly tyre offerings. Kumho expects sales of tyres related to this development to reach KRW 10 billion in 2008, 25 billion in 2009 and 150 billion in 2010.

The bi-annual event, held since 2000, aims to recognise and reward executives and employees who have made achievements in the research and development of technology, and to constantly develop technology management, which is one of the Kumho group’s five key management policies. “We must focus our efforts on developing technologies to create the best corporate value in the industry,” said group chairman Park. “We will do everything we can to support talents within the group, including the prize-winners, so that they can devote themselves to research & development.”