Yuhan-Kimberly has established its Innovation Center, aiming to implement the company’s core values ― “challenge and creativity.”

The center at Jukjeon, Gyeonggi Province, which opened Oct. 27, is helping the company maximize efficiency in research and engineering.

The company said it will increase the number of research and engineering specialists to 72 from the current 50 by 2015.

The company had traditionally operated six departments ― “baby and child care,” “family care,” “senior care,” “feminine care,” “skincare” and “B2B.”

With the introduction of Yuhan-Kimberly’s new center, all of the company’s research and engineering resources have been integrated into a single unit.

“The results we get from each product development process will be applied to other product developments to see how it works,” a company official said.

“Such flexibility in research is expected to create a synergy effect for our productivity and product quality.” 

The concept of open innovation has been a management trend among global business leaders after professor Henry Chesbrough introduced the term in his book “Open Innovation” published in 2006.

The goal is to create a firm and well-defined network of resources by freely exchanging ideas and resources among a company’s divisions, as well as with external organizations.

Yuhan-Kimberly, a joint venture between Yuhan Corp. and Kimberly-Clark, has been producing noticeable research and engineering results among its affiliates in its household products division.

It became a role model for other joint venture companies after a series of world-first technologies led Yuhan-Kimberly to success.

Most well-known is the 100 percent natural sourced liner for diapers. The megahit product, which maintained the top spot in the domestic diaper market the last eight years, also uses the company’s cutting-edge technology ― a bio-degradable breathable diaper film.

The company’s most popular products including diapers and sanitary pads are being exported to 54 countries across the globe.

The leading technologies and ideas also highlighted the competitiveness of Yuhan Kimberly’s other products such as hydroknit kitchen towels.

“The center represents our corporate value: challenge and creativity,” Yuhan-Kimberly CEO Choe Kyoo-bok said.

“The competition in global household care products market is intensifying. Through the internal and external open innovation, the company will become the hub of household care product development.”

Already operating Innovation Center Asia in Giheung, and upcoming Global Innovation Center, they plan to share its resources, ideas and know-how with Yuhan Kimberly’s new facility.

By Monica Suk (monicasuk@heraldcorp.com)