Emro to build next-generation procurement portal for Kolon Industries

By Jung Yoon-hee, The Herald Business

Emro, an AI-based supply chain management software company, announced Monday that it will build a next-generation procurement portal system for Kolon Industries, one of South Korea's leading materials and chemicals companies.

The project was launched to proactively address rapidly shifting internal and external conditions, including growing complexity in procurement operations, expanding supply chain risks and regulation, and deepening market uncertainty.

At its core, the initiative centers on building a new procurement portal that integrates and supports the full range of Kolon Industries' purchasing processes — from strategic and development procurement to sourcing and supplier management. The goal is to structurally overhaul procurement processes and strengthen strategic purchasing capabilities, securing cost competitiveness and supply stability at the same time.

To implement an integrated procurement process tailored to Kolon Industries, Emro plans to analyze internal and external data across a wide range of procurement categories. It will use those findings to establish optimal category-level purchasing strategies and support ongoing strategic procurement activities.

The system will also create a collaborative environment for development procurement, enabling the selection of optimal materials and suppliers from the earliest stages of product development and allowing for systematic cost management. When raw material changes become unavoidable during new product design and development, the portal will use AI to quickly search for alternative materials and calculate projected material costs through simulation — a capability expected to boost both product and price competitiveness.

Key procurement functions such as sourcing, purchasing and supplier management will also be automated using agentic AI. Emro plans to complete the next-generation procurement portal for Kolon Industries in the second half of this year, following system analysis and design, development, and integration testing.

"This project brings together Emro's accumulated best-practice expertise in the materials and chemicals sector, procurement capabilities aligned with global standards, and agentic AI technology specialized for the procurement domain," an Emro official said. "We will do our utmost to successfully realize intelligent procurement innovation for Kolon Industries."

Last year, Emro signed contracts in North America with a leading global PC and server manufacturer as well as local electronics makers and HVAC equipment companies. The firm also participated for three consecutive years in the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo — held in Orlando from May 4 to 6 and in Barcelona from May 18 to 20 — showcasing new procurement innovation cases.