Automated Production Driving Domestic Porcelain

○ Mechanized craftsmanship

Manual craftsmanship is no longer dominant with porcelain in Korea, as all production processes from molding to finishing are performed by machines.

First, the molding process consists of two gigantic machines pressing four pieces of china per second. By changing the parameters, the factory can produce 150 pieces in different sizes and designs.

The manager at a Hankook Chinaware factory said, “Defective products account for 10-15 percent of output. More than half of them are produced during molding. That’s why we pay the most attention to this process.”

Once molded, the porcelain pieces are put on the conveyer belt for the next process, where dirt is sponged off and the surface is smoothed.

At the factory, this Dong-A Ilbo reporter saw ten workers inspect pieces entering the furnace to detect defective products. Workers from each process got together here to look for faulty products, as even advanced automation could not do so.

The furnace for preliminary burning has 20 sections, each of which is 30 meters long and burns at different temperatures. Once a piece enters the furnace, the mercury reaches 600 degrees Celsius and keeps rising up to 1,250 degrees in the middle of the furnace. The temperature falls back to 600 degrees when the item comes out. This burning phase takes 14-16 hours and the computer sets the temperatures.

○ Transcribing technique

The factory manager said, “Look at this carefully. It’s the transcribing process we are really proud of. Samsung Electronics also uses this technique to paint its appliances.”

Copying refers to the printing method in which a picture drawn on paper is transcribed onto the surface of china or glass. First, the gluing varnish is applied on the smooth surface and the image-drawn paper sheet is glued to the surface. Then burning the paper leaves only the image previously on it. The vividly transcribed picture refreshes the china.

Using this process, Hankook Chinaware painted the frontal design of a Samsung refrigerator model and the tulip design on products made by home appliance maker Zipel. Hankook has set up a division to sell the method, expecting a considerable income from it.

Hankook marketing director Kim Mu-seong said, “The world recognizes our products. Our china is used at the Nobel Prize reception dinner. During the 1990s, Japanese and German products threatened us. Our products have since outperformed them, and we will tap the global market in earnest.”

Wrapping up my visit, this Dong-A Ilbo reporter went to Cheongju Bus Terminal to hop on an express bus home. I had about ten minutes till boarding, so I dropped by an electronics mall connected to the terminal. I found a Zipel refrigerator with the Hankook tulip design decorated with a ribbon reading “Most Beloved Product by Customers.”

A sales representative said, “The tulip painting on the façade garnishes it with luxury. I believe that’s why customers love this product.”

lovesong@donga.com