The Korea Ready-Mixed Concrete Industry Cooperative Federation announced Tuesday that it is holding the "2026 Jeju Ready-Mixed Concrete Management Innovation Forum" at Maison Glad Hotel in Jeju from Monday through Wednesday, with about 300 representatives from member cooperatives and member companies attending from across the country. Pictured are Federation President Bae Jo-ung (left) and Korea Federation of SMEs Chairman Kim Ki-moon. [Korea Federation of SMEs]
The Korea Ready-Mixed Concrete Industry Cooperative Federation announced Tuesday that it is holding the "2026 Jeju Ready-Mixed Concrete Management Innovation Forum" at Maison Glad Hotel in Jeju from Monday through Wednesday, with about 300 representatives from member cooperatives and member companies attending from across the country. Pictured are Federation President Bae Jo-ung (left) and Korea Federation of SMEs Chairman Kim Ki-moon. [Korea Federation of SMEs]

Ready-mixed concrete federation holds '2026 Management Innovation Forum' in Jeju

About 300 representatives from member cooperatives and companies attend

Forum covers public procurement, construction outlook, low-carbon cement and AI strategies

Small and mid-sized ready-mixed concrete companies, battered by a prolonged construction slump, are working to map out survival strategies in response to sweeping changes in their operating environment — from shifts in public procurement to carbon neutrality requirements and the rise of AI.

The Korea Ready-Mixed Concrete Industry Cooperative Federation announced Tuesday that it is holding the "2026 Jeju Ready-Mixed Concrete Management Innovation Forum" at Maison Glad Hotel in Jeju from Monday through Wednesday, with about 300 representatives from member cooperatives and member companies attending from across the country.

This year's forum theme is "Beyond Recovery, Toward Solid Growth — Taking the First Step of a New Beginning." The gathering focuses on finding ways to respond to a prolonged construction downturn while addressing changes in the business environment surrounding the ready-mixed concrete industry, including shifts in public procurement policy, carbon neutrality requirements and the adoption of AI.

The ready-mixed concrete sector is a classic downstream industry closely tied to construction activity. With housing ground-breakings and construction investment remaining sluggish, demand recovery in the private market has been slow, and public procurement, rising input costs and the transition to eco-friendly facilities have emerged as pressing management concerns for smaller companies.

On the forum's opening day Monday, experts delivered lectures on the direction of public procurement policy, key industry issues, and the construction outlook and how companies should respond.

The Korea Concrete Testing Institute presented findings on the overseas cement and ready-mixed concrete industries gathered through exchanges with Japan and China, and shared insights on trends in the domestic low-carbon cement market and the challenges ahead.

Tuesday's sessions focus on topics including "How small ready-mixed concrete companies should respond in the age of AI transformation." A central discussion point is how smaller firms — long run as traditional manufacturers centered on production, vehicle dispatch and quality control — can integrate AI and digital technology into their day-to-day operations.

Carbon neutrality has also become a core challenge for the industry. Cement, the primary raw material in ready-mixed concrete, is one of the heaviest carbon-emitting industries, and calls for an eco-friendly transition — through greater use of low-carbon cement and blended materials and more efficient production processes — are spreading across the sector.

The federation held a management innovation forum in Jeju last year as well, discussing AI adoption and ways to strengthen industrial competitiveness, continuing its annual practice of sharing key management issues facing the industry. This year, with the construction slump persisting, the forum has broadened its agenda to include the public market and the shift to greener operations.

"We hope this forum will serve as a starting point for moving toward solid growth by collectively addressing the changes coming our way — in the public market, carbon neutrality and AI," federation President Bae Jo-ung said.

He added that building and refining a policy foundation so that member companies can continue their operations without worry is the federation's


hong@heraldcorp.com