![Son Jong-cheon, plant manager of Mirae-N's Sejong factory [Hong Seok-hee]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/24/news-p.v1.20260823.232751e31d7845c2aeb0fae55444ff8f_P1.png)
Two-shift to single-shift: pilot launched in May, full rollout at Sejong factory in August
About 10 billion won invested to maintain output amid scale-up
Mirae-N Chairman Kim Young-jin's call: 'Build a factory where my own children could work'
"When you look at when safety accidents happen, it's almost always late at night. Around 3 or 4 in the morning, concentration is at its lowest. Fatigue sets in, judgment slips, and that's when accidents occur." Son Jong-cheon, executive director and plant manager of Mirae-N's P&P business division at the company's Sejong factory, offered that explanation for why the facility is eliminating night shifts.
Mirae-N's Sejong factory has embarked on an experiment to replace a shift system in place for decades with a single daytime shift. Most printing factories run two shifts of around 10 hours each — a fundamental structure this factory is now trying to change. The Sejong plant began the single-shift trial in some work areas in May before expanding it to the entire factory in August. Production equipment that previously ran through the night is now concentrated into daytime operation.
The experiment required solving several problems at once: reducing total equipment operating hours while maintaining output, and ensuring workers did not see their earnings fall significantly with the shorter shifts. Sustaining production levels also required additional equipment and higher productivity. By 2023, Mirae-N had installed a manufacturing execution system and a point of production system at the Sejong factory through a government smart-factory support program. After the systems went live, the company said hourly output rose 8.7 percent and time spent on record-keeping fell 83.3 percent.
To support the full rollout of the single-shift system, Mirae-N has drawn up and is executing a facility investment plan worth about 10 billion won ($7.18 million). During a visit to the factory, a conspicuously large empty space was visible on one side of the printing hall. A factory official said an additional sheet-fed press worth about 3 billion won is set to be installed there. The additional equipment is needed so the factory can avoid running through the night.
Safety was the primary driver behind the shift to daytime-only operations. The printing and binding processes involve large, high-speed machines that move paper and books at considerable speed, and entrapment injuries are among the accident types most closely monitored on the factory floor. Son said such accidents are not caused by inexperience with the equipment. "When you look at the actual causes, fatigue is a factor," he said. "Accidents happen when people are tired and their concentration drops."
A factory official described the dangers of night work more directly, citing a case at another company. A worker on an early-morning shift noticed a loose, thread-like protrusion on a running machine and, without stopping the equipment, instinctively reached out — and injured a finger. When asked why, the worker said, "I don't even know why I did it."
Mirae-N also concluded that the single-shift model is not necessarily a disadvantage in terms of productivity. Because fatigue during night shifts inevitably lengthens rest breaks, concentrating personnel and equipment during daytime hours leaves room for higher hourly output, the company reasoned.
The company also worked through the change with its union. Management held ongoing consultations with the union chairman over the introduction of the single-shift system. While eliminating night shifts risked reducing wages, the company designed the new work schedule to keep pay close to existing levels.
Mirae-N said the shift to daytime-only operations also makes sense given the aging of the factory workforce and the challenge of recruiting new workers. "A factory runs on a virtuous cycle of equipment and people, but if the two-shift system keeps going, you eventually end up going through a very narrow door — and money alone may not be enough to solve the problem," the plant manager said.
If the single-shift model takes hold, it could become a differentiating factor in working conditions even among printing companies. "When an employee is choosing where to work, if the choice is between two places, they may well pick the one with only daytime hours," Son said. "If the pay is not much different, that preference will be even stronger." Son has also set up a health and wellness center for employees since taking up his post, with a full-time nurse on hand to monitor workers' health.
Mirae-N's single-shift experiment represents a broader attempt to eliminate night labor while applying equipment investment and AI technology to the production process — shifting the approach from deploying people through the night to match output targets, to reconfiguring equipment and processes so more can be handled during the day. The full rollout became possible after Chairman Kim Young-jin approved the investment following a proposal from Son. The goals are to prevent serious workplace accidents, retain skilled workers, and strengthen the factory's appeal to new recruits.
The key test will be output. Textbooks are a quintessentially seasonal product, with orders concentrated ahead of each new school term. If the factory cannot match the output it achieved under the shift system within the constraints of daytime-only hours, the sustainability of the model will face scrutiny. "The peak season for textbooks runs from October through March of the following year," a Mirae-N official said. "Given how seasonal the demand is, we are making thorough preparations to ensure there are no disruptions."
hong@heraldcorp.com
