Six SMEs win stainless steel idea contest with innovations from rainwater benches to data center cooling pipes

Creative stainless steel applications from small and medium-sized enterprises — ranging from a rainwater-circulating bench to heat transfer tubes for data center cooling — were showcased at a single event Wednesday.

The Korea Federation of SMEs said it co-hosted the "5th Stainless Steel SME Idea Contest" awards ceremony with the Korea Iron & Steel Association at its Yeouido headquarters in Seoul on Wednesday.

Now in its fifth year, the contest was established to discover products and technologies using stainless steel and to promote cooperation between large and small businesses while generating new demand for the steel industry.

Sixteen small and medium-sized enterprises entered this year's competition. After written and presentation evaluations based on criteria including marketability, technological merit, innovation and feasibility, six companies were selected as winners.

DSP took the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy minister's prize for developing a premium stainless steel dining table mat with a special coating technology. Taekwang Water Tank received the Ministry of SMEs and Startups minister's prize for its stainless steel modular rainwater-circulating bench.

Taewang Metal Anchor Safety and TMC each received the Korea Federation of SMEs chairman's award — the former for developing a dry construction method for fixing stone and tile to interior and exterior walls, and the latter for proposing a container design and mobility application technology aimed at reducing the weight of liquefied hydrogen fuel tanks.

Hansamcora and Robusteq each received the Korea Iron & Steel Association chairman's award — Hansamcora for developing a stainless steel lining platform for concrete water treatment facilities, and Robusteq for developing stainless steel heat transfer tubes for data center cooling.

The winning technologies included ideas addressing demand in advanced industries and environmental applications, such as data center cooling, liquefied hydrogen storage and rainwater circulation. The results illustrate how stainless steel is expanding beyond everyday goods and construction materials into a wide range of industrial sectors.

Prize money totaling 40 million won will be distributed among the winners: the two minister-level prize recipients will each receive 10 million won ($7,490), while the remaining four companies will each receive 5 million won.

Yang Chan-hoe, executive vice president of the Korea Federation of SMEs, said he hopes the contest will give small businesses a chance to turn creative ideas into new business ventures. "We will continue to support the new challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises and provide opportunities for sustained growth through various cooperation projects between large and small businesses," he said.