A ceremony to present 2026 Busan anchor company certificates is held Monday at Avani Central Busan. [Busan city government]
A ceremony to present 2026 Busan anchor company certificates is held Monday at Avani Central Busan. [Busan city government]

The Busan city government and Busan Technopark held the "2026 Busan Anchor Company Certificate Presentation and CEO Roundtable" Monday at Avani Central Busan, formally launching support efforts for four newly selected firms this year.

Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo attended the event alongside chief executives and senior officers from all 13 Busan anchor companies, as well as representatives of Manucon Partners, a cooperative network of organizations supporting the anchor companies.

The Busan Anchor Company Development Support project identifies manufacturing firms with strong technological competitiveness, growth potential and industrial spillover effects, and nurtures them into flagship companies representing the city. Starting with three first-cohort companies in 2024 and six second-cohort companies in 2025, the program expanded this year to a total of 13 with four third-cohort additions: pre-anchor JMC, anchor BMT, Hanla IMS and top-tier anchor Daeyang Electric Industry.

Following the certificate presentation, the 13 CEOs from all three cohorts took part in a roundtable under the theme "AI and AX transformation: challenges and solutions for manufacturing CEOs."

Participants examined the changes that manufacturing AI, AX and physical AI are expected to bring to corporate management and production operations amid a rapidly shifting manufacturing environment, and exchanged views on response strategies and new growth opportunities for the region's leading manufacturers.

Shim Seong-hyeon, a professor at Changwon National University and a member of the Presidential National AI Strategy Committee, and Park Jong-seong, a team leader at LG CNS and author of "The Physical AI Hegemony War," shared insights on AI and AX policy trends, the broader shift in industry, and the implications of the physical AI megatrend for manufacturing companies.

The city government and Busan Technopark are working to build a representative group of manufacturers spanning Busan's core industries — shipbuilding and marine, semiconductors, mobility and energy — as well as future growth sectors, and to help companies' achievements ripple out across the regional industrial ecosystem.

"The technology and drive of Busan's anchor companies will become the competitive edge of Busan's industry, and every job they create will put Busan back in motion," Mayor Jeon said.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com