Interview with Mr. Park, CEO of HK Laser

An interview with Mr. Park, CEO of HK Laser

How does your laser technology differ from other machines? What are your competitive advantages?

We have been developing our laser cutting machines for 31 years, refining the technology our machine designs and our skills in laser cutting. We are also a trend setter in the state-of-the-art laser technology which we have developed and adopted. Thanks to our accumulated experience and our proprietary technology, we are now providing global customers with an advanced laser cutting machine with outstanding cutting performance and durability at a competitive price, as well as providing fast and effective after sales service.

What led HK Laser to partner with Lantek in the first place?

We did not hesitate in signing a partnership contract with Lantek. Compared to other brands we evaluated, Lantek has better and more dedicated software technology for our industry. We were sure of the synergy between our companies as Lantek has the most extensive infrastructure in the field of laser cutting in Korea. The fast service Lantek delivers also helped us decide on choosing it as our long-term software partner.

How important is Lantek’s collaboration to HK Lasers?

Software is the most important part of our machine. We aim to provide customers a machine with an optimum configuration at peak performance so, the importance of the collaboration between the two parties goes without saying.

Is Lantek’s experience and knowledge of the sheet metal industry and its technology important to HK Laser?

The experience and know-how of Lantek in the sheet metal field is of critical importance. New cutting techniques and improved reliability are essential to satisfy our customers. We expect Lantek to continue sharing its technology with us in the future.

Are there any special features in HK’s machines which Lantek has been instrumental in perfecting?

The main cutting database of HK machine is linked with Lantek’s software database through a Microsoft Excel import function provided by Lantek. Our machines are supplied to customers with all the cutting data shared with the Lantek software, so I would say all the functions of Lantek contribute to making our machine near perfect.

How well has Lantek’s support, training and service network worked for HK Laser?

In Korea, we are enjoying support from Lantek through its training and service network but, need more support in global markets especially in USA, China and Asian countries. We expect Lantek to provide us with similar strong levels of support to that which we get in Korea in these other countries soon.

How important is Lantek’s global support for the partnership with HK and what proportion of HK’s business is international?

Overseas sales are around 40% out of our turnover. We have overseas branch offices in Chicago, Frankfurt, Shanghai, China and Taichung. 700 HK machines are running overseas, and 1,000 machines in Korea. Overseas supply of Lantek has grown to 35% since the partnership was built in 2020. We need more Lantek support in overseas markets, not only for our current customers but for all the new customers we attract in these rapidly developing markets.

Which competitive advantage does the collaboration with Lantek give HK Lasers and has it resulted in increased business?

Briefly, customers want a high-quality machine with high-quality software. Customers are enjoying better quality in their products and improved productivity on parts processed by our machine with Lantek software. Most of our customers talk about the outstanding compatibility that Lantek has with many different sheet metal machines.

Are HK’s customers interested in the concepts of Industry 4.0 and the Smart Factory?

Recently we have been seeing many customers showing an interest in factory automation, but it will take time before they are ready to adopt it as most of them are small or middle-sized corporations. The market demand and requirement will gradually increase, anyway.

In which markets are you already established and in which markets would you be interested in entering in the future?

The number of small sized customers with an interest in unattended automation systems is increasing as the systems can greatly increase productivity with less manpower or even none. We are continuously carrying out research and investment into automation systems.

What is HK’s vision for productivity for the entire sheet metal industry (regarding its core values of creating value through customer satisfaction with content, credibility, challenge, change and creativity)?

Our vision is that all of HK customers achieve success in their business. We exist for our customers’ success. We are striving to offer a high-quality machine to meet their requirements by providing solutions both technically and commercially.

What role does Lantek play in HK’s vision for the sheet metal industry?

Our vision is to create value through customer satisfaction. To achieve it, I think the hardware and software of the machine should interact organically to maximize the efficiency of the machine. I believe that Lantek’s software is performing a good role in improving the performance and productivity of the machines.

HK Laser has won several design awards for its fibre machines. Were there some particular technological advantages in Lantek’s software Expert and Flex3d which are important for running HK’s Lasers both fibre, CO2 and tube cutting?

Sure, we are producing various parts including outer covers using Lantek Expert. We anticipate a closer collaboration with Lantek for Industry 4.0 and the Smart Factory in the near future.

Is Lantek involved in HK’s automation or hybrid machine projects?

Not yet, but we expect to work together with Lantek in automation and hybrid projects soon, as the customers’ interest and demand for these products is increasing gradually day by day.

¿Is HK Laser interested in the next developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning which Lantek is working on now?

We don’t have enough information from Lantek about the new fields of development for the next generation, but it would be good if we can apply artificial intelligence in machine maintenance. This will need a close collaboration with Lantek.

How does HK Laser see the long-term collaboration with Lantek developing and is it excited about the future of the collaboration?

CAM software is the most essential element in Laser cutting, and it is very important for our future to cooperate with Lantek which has the most advanced technology and infrastructure in the world. The high-power laser market will keep growing and we need to make a better plan to develop our overseas markets, evidently our overseas sales have increased recently. HK will do the best to strengthen the good partnership with Lantek for the success of its customers, Lantek and HK itself and, has no doubts about Lantek’s commitment to supporting us now more than ever before.