Doosan Infracore to Open Biggest Machine Tool R&D Center

Doosan Infracore to Open Biggest Machine Tool R&D Center Doosan Infracore, South Korea¡¯s leading machinery company, said Thursday it will open what the company claims to be the nation¡¯s biggest machine tool research center in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, in 2008 with an investment of 13 billion won. The construction of the six-story intelligent building with 7,036 square meters will be completed by July next year,¡¯¡¯ a Doosan spokesperson said Thursday, adding the research post will fuel momentum for the company to become the world¡¯s No. 1 maker in the industry. Doosan officials say the advanced technology center will hire some 300 research staff to develop it as a Mecca of machine tool research in South Korea.Of the company¡¯s full-time staff, 25 percent are researchers. By intensifying efforts to develop new technology in the machine tool sector at the site, we hope the company will become the world¡¯s No. 1 maker in the industry,¡¯¡¯ Doosan Infracore Vice President Kim Woong-bum said at a groundbreaking ceremony held in the provincial city. The company has emerged as the industry¡¯s third-largest manufacturer of machine tools with an annual production capacity of 13,000 units after it merged with an affiliate earlier this year, according to the company. South Korean machinery companies are pulling up their resources to the research-related sector as the perception ``technology is power¡¯¡¯ spreads among manufacturing players with strong R&D prowess.