대전의 빵집을 넘어 국가 혁신의 아이콘으로: 성심당이 쏘아 올린 ‘상생과 기술’의 미래 > K-wave Trends

Seongsimdang’s success stems above all from its ‘value-centered’ product philosophy. Although ‘Mango Whirl’, which has recently become a hot topic, is not an officially released product, it received a great response from consumers as it was introduced at a reasonable price of 12,000 won using leftover sheets from making fruit syrup. This goes beyond a practical approach of not simply wasting ingredients, and demonstrates Seongsimdang’s unique customer-oriented mindset that simultaneously satisfies consumers’ perceived ‘cost-effectiveness’ and ‘cost-effectiveness’. In fact, the fact that Seongsimdang took first place in the Korean Business Research Institute's brand reputation survey, beating out large franchises, is the result of communicating with customers through new attempts each time and leading to positive spread within the community.

From a technical perspective, Seongsimdang is considered a representative example of successfully transplanting ‘Manufacturing AI Conversion (M.AX)’ to a traditional food manufacturing site. By introducing a robot arm to the frying pan production line full of hot oil and oil vapor, we have dramatically improved the working environment of workers and increased productivity by more than 20%. This AI factory, implemented in collaboration with Intertek, goes beyond simple automation and has a sophisticated process control system that analyzes image data to determine defective products. This presents a futuristic production model that equalizes product quality by replacing the know-how of skilled bakers with digital data and reallocates labor to more valuable creative tasks by entrusting high-intensity repetitive tasks that are difficult for humans to robots.

At the government level, Seongsim Party’s actions are being used as a key indicator of the national manufacturing innovation policy. The fact that Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-kwan personally visited the site and inspected the demonstration site of the AI ​​factory means that the case of Seongsimdang has become a milestone in the spread of AI technology beyond high-tech manufacturing to the service industry that people can directly experience in their daily lives. In particular, Minister Kim mentioned the history of Fried Soboro, which was launched in May 1980, and emphasized the company's attitude toward serving consumers and social responsibility. This contrasted with the actions of other companies that have recently caused controversy and gave implications for the right direction of corporate management. In addition, the fact that it was the subject of a request for cooperation in the National Data Agency's economic census proves that Sacred Heart Party has grown beyond the local economy into an important economic entity that has become the basic data for national economic policy.

In terms of the local economy, Seongsimdang is playing a central role in the ‘Loconomy (Local+Economy)’ craze. The fact that products in collaboration with Seongsimdang are sold out at local events such as the Nonsan Strawberry Festival proves how local specialties can lead to an influx of tourists and revitalize local commercial districts through combination with large brands. This trend of consumption as content that embodies the region's identity beyond the simple sale of goods is injecting new vitality into the Chungcheong region's specialties as a whole. However, in order for this loconomy to not end up as a one-time event, the future task is to design a sustainable structure in which the profits generated during the processing and branding process are actually returned to local farmers and small business owners.