Southeast Asia with China as a middle point, the popularity of Korean cosmetics is getting increasing with the Korean Wave’s effect. This is usually people from China and Southeast Asia who visit Korea and they are buying some Korean cosmetics as a necessary course and it happened almost every time. In terms of the price, they are relatively cheaper and the quality is also great as much as other international brands. Seoul Cosmetics Co, Ltd, that Incheon Mayor Song, Young-Gil recently visited is producing some relative medicines such as hair products and permanent wave item but majorly with manufacturing the functional cosmetics and they are getting attention in the Southeast Asian markets since they aggressively attacked that market. Also, they are making a business by providing Seoul Cosmetics brand, ‘Hyssop’ and various ODM items to the biggest beauty chain in Hong-Kong, SASA, so they are making a hit of the second Korean wave with Korean cosmetics.
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Quality first, over 6% of sales figure is going to the investment for the R&D
Seoul Cosmetics Co, Ltd that is working on the total cosmetic professional brand took over Jeil Cosmetics in 1982 and established Seoul Cosmetics and later, they became Seoul Cosmetics Co, Ltd and now producing about 600 kinds of item. This company’s most catchy point is that they are a leading company of OEM·ODM as for the total domestic cosmetic brand, first of all. Over 30 years, they have been manufacturing national and international famous cosmetic brands by a OEM process and it is their exclusive position at the moment. After all, they have been the cradle of making a fame of many famous brand cosmetics.
Especially, as for ODM stands for the Original Design Manufacturing or it means Manufacturer’s producing. It is not possible without its own production lines, so the distribution enterprise is focusing on distribution as for the core ability by choosing items that are suitable for them with self-technology. In particular, it is not the same as the salesmen suggest the OEM method, rather, it is a high value added production since they are manufacturing on their own with providing and distributing when they sell them in the international markets, the technology is absolutely important. Quality first and growing in the quality are Seoul Cosmetics Co, Ltd is making a goal and their successful model comes from the R&D.
They built up the annex research institute with a company in 2004 and have been invested over 6% of sales figure every year, therefore, the R&D part is the greatest competition of the company. They also have the best facilities and equipments in this industry such as the HPLC analyzer, mercury measuring instrument, UV analyzer, and the GC equipment analyzer.
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There is a reason why we call Seoul Cosmetics Co, Ltd as the total cosmetic professional brand. It is because they have a potential power of producing 600 kinds of products based on their technology that has been developed in the affiliated laboratory. Moreover, Laboratory #1 team that is producing some relative medicines such as hair products and permanent wave item and Laboratory #2 team that is inventing the basic cosmetics and body products and Laboratory #3 team that is developing QC, QA. Like that, their professional and sub-specialized studies and efforts are already approved to the world. It means that they have not only a producing line, but also their own technology. Consequently, they received the Export Tower of a Million in 2008 and the Export Tower of Three Million in 2010 and, this was a basis for them to go for the Hong-Kong Market, which is looking forward Chinese market later and this is happened after exporting their own products to 16 countries including Russia and the US.
Vice CEO Han, Jeong-Soo of Seoul Cosmetics Co, Ltd said, “When we started the global marketing business at first, we didn’t have enough infrastructures so it was very difficult to go through. However, we met many good people when we went to China and it could be going well. Thanks to it, we could go another country with starting from China and now, I think we could be grown up as a company that is acknowledged in the overseas.”
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“The 30 years’ secret is investing on what we need without being greedy”
There is a person when we talk about the potential great power of the current Seoul Cosmetics Co, Ltd. He is a president Han, Gwang-Seok of the company. He is actually known as a little giant in this field and a man of mighty sinews and passion. He started his career there as a salesman and experienced everything outside of the company directly and he thought the technology is the belief, so he has concentrated on the R&D and it was the reason to make the company like now.
“Seoul Cosmetics Co, Ltd is all about the best quality for the customers to use and this is what we are doing.” This is president Han left a message on the company homepage. It explains that he has been working on the R&D to the fullest and tried to do the best for the ground of the customer service as a basis.
After all, according to president Han, any business has to be honest. “If you are working honestly and earnestly, your company will make a good result, even though you cannot spend the money on the advertisement” By that, his management philosophy is that he is making a company the customers can trust without any fake and superficial care only. Then, the company will live long with being loved by many customers. It might be a different standpoint of the view of a good company, which is popular these days, but at least, as a company that is producing, so, this company has been trying to fulfill the value of the customer satisfaction with the belief and consciousness. Besides, he talked about the secret of managing the company over 30 years. “I was never greedy and I didn’t invest on nothing. As a CEO of a company, the person must not waste the money but has to invest for the company and the employees a lot. Then, the company can grow up.”
It explains that people have to practice self-control. It is very crucial for the administrator’s leadership when the company is established and raised and developed in a process. With reflecting on the experience that people focused on other things that not related to the company and forgot the attitude as a company, which was caused by the bubble theory about the venture crisis, his description like this is very convincing. This is the reason why Seoul Cosmetics Co, Ltd could have a great technology in the field and they have a background like that without any big problem in the company so far.
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President who is having lunch and dinner with his employees!
At the moment, he is a church elder of Namdaemoon Church in Incheon advised for the young people. “Nowadays, I see so many young people are looking for something huge or too big and they want to have it all at once. This is why we have a problem of the unemployment of young people as a social issue. But, if they lose the greediness and fit their viewpoint of job and they develop themselves, they will be able to grow up more than now.” Subsequently, he said he had a hard life like he used to collect abandoned metals and papers in his handcart a long time ago. The core of this unemployment of young people is because they are looking up too high. Everything always has a process, so if the greediness is at the front, the expectation would be high and it will bring out the vicious circle like the unemployment of the young people as his explanation. He said he respects the late Jeong, Joo-Young who made something out of nothing the most. As he started himself as a salesman, his heart for the young people is appearing in itself.
In fact, his father was working as a provincial member in Gyeongbuk. Generally, people think he had a wealthy life because of his father’s position, but his childhood was not like that all. As his father was living for the people in the province, he feels he was influenced by him, so he would like to live that kind of life such as taking care of other people.
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President Han said, “The small companies have to support their employees. Therefore, I get paid monthly like them.” At all times, he likes to be with his employees as a president, but he would like to have lunch with them together as much as possible. He is with them even when they work overly. “I have to look after them and have to take care of their overtime work allowance as well.” With telling that, he was smiling. He seems to live a life for the other people who are with him. As for President Han, he is working from Monday to Saturday, so he doesn’t have spare time that much. Eventually, he is trying to have a light nap in car when he is on the way back and he leaves for his work, which might be about for 2~30 minutes. Although he is so busy every day at his age of 67, but there is one thing he never forgets as a daily basis. That is an exercise at dawn. “Without working out at that time, I feel the day is too heavy to get through, so I might be able to show my bad condition at the meetings with buyers or running the business.” For that, we see his company is as much as he is healthy as well. The most precious thing to people who have families is each family member. He said, “I really appreciated my wife and my kids since they are grown up well. Today’s enterprises seldom take the business over their children but my son took it with a pleasure and I feel thankful. Sometimes, when my grandchildren were asked by their friends, they were wondering their grandpa, not their father. I heard they are so proud of their grandpa since he is a president of a big company.” He kept smiling with saying that. His family is the most precious thing to him to be able to raise his company.
Editor Jeong. Il-Gwon
