1. South Korean Machine Instrument Manufacturer Hwacheon Machinery Celebrates 60
Years
South Korea's Hwacheon Machinery is
celebrating its 60th anniversary, holding a
week-long Open House festival at the end
of October at its central office in Gwangju,
South Korea. Ward Hi-Tech is the sole
UK distributor for the company.
Starting life as a simple job store
producing ingredients for the farming
industry in the field of Gwuangju,
Hwacheon speedily developed into
something more and by the 1970s the
company had organized and established
Korea's first NC lathe, following up
several years later with the first CNC milling machine to be produced in the country.
Since building its credentials, Hwacheon has proceeded to develop and grow into a
important global dealer of CNC turning and machining centres, with a number of member
companies forming the Hwacheon Group. Hwacheon now has a few machine tool
manufacturing sites in South Korea; distinct companies producing chucks, engine cylinder
blocks for the automotive industry in Korea, special-purpose machines, together with its own
foundry, which also supplies castings for many other worldwide machine instrument
producers.
The Hwacheon Group also incorporates overseas subsidiaries in USA, Germany, Singapore
and China together with a worldwide distributor network to handle the Company's growing
export business.
Hwacheon products have been supplied into the UK since the early 1980s, though sales
have increased dramatically since Sheffield-based Ward Hi-Tech took over the distribution
channel on a sole UK agency basis five years ago.
Ward Hi-Tech manager Alan Hill said: "The Hwacheon turning centre range is a high quality,
large specification family of products that really does ensure a machine for all reasons. With
chuck sizes from 6" to 32" diameter, bed lengths up to 6 m between centres, together with an
effective range of perpendicular lathes both single and twin spindle, Hwacheon satisfies most
of our customer necessaries.