Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

Gun-Ho greeted the person who came for the interpretation job.

The interpreter was surprised by the fact that Gun-Ho was a very young president. Gun-Ho’s employees who were standing next to Gun-Ho including the plant manager and the chief officer of the research center were old men who would soon retire. However, Gun-Ho looked young about the same age as Kim Jong-un—Supreme Leader of North Korea.

“He must inherit the company from his father.”

The interpreter just assumed it.

Gun-Ho extended his hand to the interpreter for a handshake and said,

“I’ve heard a lot about you from President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media. I was told that you used to work in the U.S. as a branch manager of a big company and that you speak English fluently.”

“Thank you. I’ve been working with President Jeong-Sook Shin for several years. I like your factory. It’s humongous and beautiful at the same time.”

Mr. Brandon Burke’s party was having a tour of the production field at the factory in Jiksan Town, the plant manager was guiding them. Mr. Brandon Burke kept nodding his head while looking around the factory, he must be impressed by the extremely clean facility and shiny machines.

“The factory looked old in the picture, but it is actually very large and well organized.”

The picture that Mr. Brandon Burke mentioned was the picture of the factory in Asan City, which Gun-Ho submitted along with his application for a co-venturer opportunity to Lymondell Dyeon.

“It’s getting late. Why don’t you take a rest at the hotel for the rest of today and start your investigation tomorrow? We have reserved your room in Onyang Hot Spring Hotel and it’s close to the factory. Our interpreter will stay in the same hotel.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho said to Mr. Brandon Burke,

“The city which we are in right now is a small city, so the hotel you will stay in is not big. However, this city of Onyang is famous for its hot springs. It is radium hot springs. You will enjoy the hot spring bath.”

“Oh, hot spring?”

Mr. Brandon Burke seemed to be excited when he heard of the word ‘hot spring.’

“Since this is your first day in Korea with us, we will throw a welcoming party for you. Our managers and directors will join us as well. We will also have an opportunity to get to know each other a bit.”

Gun-Ho took Mr. Brandon Burke’s party to Seungjiwon; it is a Korean traditional full course meal restaurant which was located in Baekseok Town, Cheonan City. Seungjiwon was still in business now.

The internal auditor, the plant manager, the chief officer of the research center, and Director Yoon attended the party. The sales manager couldn’t join them because one of his family members passed away and he left for home early that day. There were 12 people at the party, including three personnel from Lymondell Dyeon and a few staff from the general affairs department of GH Mobile.

Mr. Brandon Burke looked around the restaurant with a smile.

A Korean traditional full course meal came out as ordered. Mr. Brandon Burke carefully tasted the food and shouted, “Good.”

Lymondell Dyeon’s examiners’ investigation started; it was extremely thorough and they were meticulous. They walked around the factory with a checklist in their hands.

They checked the efficiency and effectiveness of the machines and the production rate per second. They also retrieved data of labor costs and the number of units produced per person. They calculated the depreciation cost of the new extruding machines which were made in Germany. They reviewed the maintenance record of the equipment in the factory. They even checked the date of wastewater disposal and pointed out that it was overdue. The plant manager and Manager Jong-Suk Park were sweating while walking around in the factory with them.

“Who is in charge for this production line?”

“I am. I am the team leader of the production department.”

“Which company made the mold that this extruding machine is using for these products?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure our plant manager can answer your question.”

“What would you do when the plant manager is not present in the factory?”

“Well…”

“You just lost one point.”

Another examiner asked for Manager Jong-Suk Park.

“I’ve noticed that the internal audit was conducted for the ISO140001 management system and the audit report indicated that there was a problem in the system. This is your signature on the report, isn’t it, Manager Jong-Suk Park?”

“That’s right.”

“Please show me how you corrected the problem.”

“That… umm…”

“You lost one point.”

Most workers in the factory were sweating and feeling depressed while the investigation of Lymondell Dyeon was being performed, as it didn’t seem to be going well.

“How much is the electricity cost per KW?”

“How much is the water cost per 1 liter?”

“These fire extinguishers haven’t been charged for too long.”

The Lymondell Dyeon’s investigators overwhelmed even the electrical safety manager and the fire-fighting system manager.

Gun-Ho smiled when he received the interim report about the investigation.

“It is good to have this kind of investigation once in a while. It would awaken my workers to the realization that they have to be more careful and thorough in their work.”

The investigators conducted their examination not only on the production field but also on the office area as well. They checked every single department in the company. They checked the accounting department, the general affairs department, the planning department, the sales department and the research center as well. They even came to Gun-Ho’s office and checked the management system.

When they entered Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho showed them the picture of the vacant lot in Asan City. The picture was taken after the factory in Asan was completely demolished.

“If it is decided that we will have a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon, we are going to build a factory on the land in Asan City, as shown in the picture. The new factory will be large and advanced just like the factory here in Jiksan Town.”

The land on the picture looked neat. The land was already flattened with a roller. Director Yoon planted small red flags to mark the borderline.

“Let me tell you why this land’s location is ideal for a factory. First, it is located in the center of our country, so it is an optimum location to get various raw materials and chemicals necessary for a compound. Secondly, it is close to big cities such as Asan City and Cheonan City, so it’s easy to find quality labor force constantly. There are several colleges nearby as well.”

Mr. Brandon Burke nodded his head as he listened to Gun-Ho’s explanation.

“Thirdly, there is Pyeongtaek Port International Passenger Terminal, not far from here. It is geographically close to China and it is in a perfect location to be used as a forward operating base to export products to the countries in East Asia.”

“Did you say there is a port nearby? How long does it take to get there from here?”

“It will take only 20 minutes.”

“What? 20 minutes? That’s it?”

Gun-Ho drove Mr. Brandon Burke’s party to the Pyeongtaek Port International Passenger Terminal.

“If you go up to that lookout point over there, you can get the best view of the entire port. It is called Marine Center.”

Gun-Ho walked up to the Marine Center with Mr. Brandon Burke’s party. It was a clear day, and they could see the entire port sharply. They also could see a great many exporting vehicles being loaded to a large ship.

“Do you see the cars over there? A significant number of vehicles are being exported world-wide through this port. If Lymondell Dyeon does a joint venture with GH Mobile, our products will be exported to China and other countries in East Asia via this port.”