SB SUNBO

On April 16, Choi Geum-sik, Chairman of Sunbo Family, was awarded the Management Sector Grand Prize at the 26th Busan Cultural Awards ceremony, hosted by Busan MBC and BNK Busan Bank. Chairman Choi, who previously won the 12th Korea Marine Award in 2019 and the MBC Cultural Award for the Marine Sector in 2021, once again proved his outstanding capabilities and achievements in the marine, fisheries, and management sectors with this new recognition. Busan MBC explained, "Choi Geum-sik, who has been managing his business for over 40 years since its establishment in 1986, played a decisive role in positioning Sunbo Industrial as a global leader in the shipbuilding industry." They also highlighted, "He led research and innovation, drastically improving productivity and quality in the shipbuilding materials industry. By modularizing complex tasks and producing them as a single set, he successfully reduced the manufacturing process time, making a significant contribution to the advancement of the shipbuilding industry."​His dedication to community service and philanthropy, which strengthened cooperation between businesses and local communities and contributed to the revitalization of the local economy, was also acknowledged as a major achievement. Furthermore, it was noted that, "Based on his management philosophy that all employees are one family, he has implemented various systems such as support for employee clubs and welfare allowances, creating a favorable working environment." The Busan Cultural Award was established by Busan MBC to recognize the hidden contributors in the local community who have dedicated themselves to fields such as marine, social contribution, management, and culture.​During the award ceremony, Bang Seong-bin, Chairman of BNK Busan Bank, commented, “Chairman Choi Geum-sik, as the founder of Sunbo Industrial, introduced the world’s first ship module unit concept, improving productivity in the Korean and global shipbuilding industries.” He added, “Through the public interest foundations Sunbo Lighthouse and Seonje Scholarship Foundation, he has supported the establishment of overseas schools and scholarship programs for low-income families. His leadership as Chairman of the Busan Social Welfare Community Chest and Director of the Busan Shipbuilding & Marine Equipment Industrial Cooperative has contributed greatly to developing Busan as a global hub for the shipbuilding industry and revitalizing the local economy.”Chairman Choi Geum-sik shared, “39 years ago, Sunbo started in a very difficult environment, and today I am deeply honored and thrilled to receive this award. I dedicate this honor to all the Sunbo family and our partners who have always believed in me and supported me through challenging times.” He continued, “Sunbo has grown into a specialized company in shipbuilding materials and is now focusing on eco-friendly new businesses. Moving forward, we will continue to fulfill our social responsibilities by creating jobs for local talent and supporting disadvantaged communities.”In a particularly touching moment, Chairman Choi announced that he would donate the entire prize money of 20 million KRW, receiving a round of applause from the audience. Chairman Choi has never forgotten the support he received during the challenging early days of founding Sunbo and continues to practice giving back, becoming a significant role model for the industrial community and the local society.

 On April 12th, Sunbo hosted the "Sunbo Family Spring Hiking Event" at the Seunghak Mountain area, providing a gathering space for employees and their families to foster camaraderie and communication. At 9 AM, Sunbo Family gathered at the Healing Forest of Seunghak Mountain, enjoying the scents of seasonal plants along the hiking trail and the peaceful view of the Nakdong River while savoring the spring hike. The event was divided into nine groups based on departments, with 275 employees and their families participating, creating a lively and close-knit atmosphere. During the hike, Sunbo Family took commemorative photos at cherry blossom and azalea spots, as well as rest areas, creating lasting memories. After the hike, participants gathered at the indoor gymnasium of Dongju University for a luncheon, recreation, and prize drawings. The highlight of the recreation program, "Sunbo Song Festival: Becoming One Through Song," featured 12 teams, making for an exciting and vibrant event. Judges evaluated the teams' vocal ability, performance, fun, and preparation, awarding prizes to six teams. In addition to prize money, various prizes, souvenirs, and participation gifts were provided, enriching the family-oriented event.​ 

 Sunbo Peace successfully delivered the "UNDER GROUP UNIT," a structural component for ship ceiling installations, marking the first completed case of unit production. This project expands the production scope from the traditional pipe-based delivery to the assembly unit domain, symbolizing Sunbo Peace's leap toward becoming a multifunctional production base. In this project, Sunbo Peace took the lead in all processes, from design drawing analysis to component fabrication, assembly, welding, and quality inspection, through collaboration with other factories. The UNDER GROUP UNIT is a structure installed in the internal ceiling of ships, requiring precise dimensional customization within limited space. Due to the large number of units required at once and strict delivery deadlines, meticulous schedule and quality management were key to success. Despite these challenges, Sunbo Peace successfully met the high standards and completed the delivery. Through this project, Sunbo Peace has established a foundation for delivering expansion products, such as assembly units and modules. Sunbo Peace, like the Dadae plant, aims to establish a delivery system worth 10 billion KRW annually. To achieve this, the company is focusing on efforts such as ▲ optimizing personnel allocation, ▲ streamlining processes and implementing parallel workflows, and ▲ improving delivery reliability. Building on this success, Sunbo Peace plans to actively pursue orders for assembly units and lower modules. Additionally, it intends to further enhance the production capabilities of its six plants, including Gimhae, Dadae 1, and Dadae 2, to establish a flexible system that can respond to diverse customer demands.​ 

 The "Creating the New Sunbo Way! Sunbo Family Team Leader Workshop" took place on April 14th at Shilla Stay West Busan, with 31 team leaders from Sunbo Industrial, Sunbo Unitech, and Sunbo Peace in attendance. This workshop was organized as part of the SUNSHINE 2027 project and aimed to define the organization's identity and working methods from the perspective of the field. The workshop was based on a prior survey conducted with over 150 members of Sunbo Family. Chairman Choi Geum-sik of Sunbo Family encouraged the participants, stating, “To ensure the success of SUNSHINE 2027, we must let go of negative thoughts and break down walls with a positive attitude. The passion and unity led by you, our team leaders, will be the driving force that changes Sunbo’s future.” Vice Chairman Park Du-seon emphasized the importance of defining core values. “We must think about how to incorporate key values such as trust, quality, and sustainability into our future direction,” he said. “As team leaders, you have the ability to intuitively understand what others may not see, so please organize your insights from that expert perspective.” CEO Choi Young-chan of Sunbo Angel Partners stated, “While the Sunshine Project is about shaping the future appearance of Sunbo, this workshop is about creating the soul of Sunbo. Traditional values such as customer satisfaction, quality, and timely delivery are important, but we must also rebuild the spirit of the new era with AI and carbon neutrality.” Lee Se-young, Director of Sunbo Angel Partners and organizer of the workshop, concluded, “The discussions today will form a strong foundation for Sunbo to move forward as ‘One Team’ toward SUNSHINE 2027. After hearing more opinions at the team leader workshop at the Honam branch at the end of April, we will refine the core values of the integrated Sunbo based on the final results of the workshop.”