'Innomeeting'Leads to Success

Korea Expressway only public firm to achieve 6-step reform levels 3 yrs in row

Korea Expressway Corp. won best management award for three years in a row for achieving all the six reform standards in the government's evaluation of management of government-owned public companies, the highway management company announced recently.
The government evaluation of the highway management company said the reform standards include the achievement of 6 reform level steps, the opening of the 3,000 km expressway age based on a high-tech IT foundation, making any location in the country reachable within 30 minutes under the catchphrase of 'Anywhere 30' Maximizing the customer value by tailoring its services to their needs. The company came on top in the National Customer Satisfaction Index, realizing a clean company by making its operation transparent and ethical, helping the company win the top position through its clean reform program. The company won the Korea Grand Prize for the Creation of Management-Labor Culture.
The company also was commended for its leading government policies doing its role to the full as a government-run company.
For details of the expressway company's management results, the evaluation noted that the highway corp. through its innomeeting pushed 473 reform tasks related to its mid-to-long-term strategies. They also noted that the expressway corp also saved 350 billion won through the adaptation of VE process in designing bridges totaling 43 cases. The company was also complimented for spreading its reform methods to 43 other public organizations including the National Police Agency.
The expressway corp. also got compliments for its completion of intelligent highways through its high-tech transportation system(ITS). the company set up the free traffic management system in all the segments of the expressways around the country and introducing the integrated road management systems. The company also got credit for the extended use of 'Hi Pass'and setting up rest areas, canteens, business centers and the high-tech control centers for maintenance and repairs of expressways.
The company was also complimented for reducing the price of car fuel by from 30 to 50 won per liter at service stations on the expressways around the country, saving some 25.4 billion won in fuel expenses for car drivers on the expressways. The company also got credit for installing toll drive service to take care of all kinds of problems for customers with them not having to get out of the cars. For the first time in the world, the company introduced 'Hi, Avatar'for the handicapped so that they can listen to sign language traffic information broadcasting. The company also was given credit for publishing traffic congestion calendars to spread the vehicle traffic around the country, especially, easing traffic congestions in the Seoul area by improving the exits of the interchanges and building additional approach roads to the IC.
For the first time as a government-run company, the expressway corp. got resignation papers from all of its officers and staff to show that they are ready to quit the company when they make mistakes,
which has been benchmarked by other companies around the country. The company came up with clean thermometer to measure the cleanliness of their officers and employees and continue to improve it, which led the company winning the presidential citation.
The expressway company also won the Korea Grand Prize for Management-Labor Culture by setting up production management-labor culture in the company, which led to an early collective bargaining agreement, and wage settlement. Under an agreement with the union, the company has been able to cut vacation periods and improved the wage system to save 1.2 billion won per year. Both the union and management agreed to hold social services every year for the sake of the needy and they helped the homeless mobilizing some 50,000 to 60,000 men in the last several years.
By achieving the guideline for balanced personnel policies as recommended by the government, and saving energy, the company got the group citation for its exemplary effort.
By making 1.3 trillion won in additional investment, the company created from 76,000 jobs.
The company also bought products of small and medium companies, some 656.2 billion won worth last year, up 48 percent over the target amount in the previous year.
In the area of management, the company operated a reform consulting center, published a reform manual and also a room for joint information gathering. The company also trained reform professionals including 390 in the six sigma program, QW leaders totaling 274 and innomeeting coordinators numbering 43. The record for 2006 is up 230 in the six sigma sector.
The financial results from the achievement to the company amounted to 350 billion won in 2006 up from 250 billion won in 2005.
The company has also been noted for transparency and effective management and maintenance system reforms in the evaluation. The committee singled out the expressway's introduction of an open competition for its 10 business outlets along the expressways and allowing private investment in those facilities. They also said credit should be given to the company for reforming management of the rest-area facilities along the expressways and terminating long-term operation of those facilities by checking their service qualities.
The company also won the credit for transparency and in the National Consumer Satisfaction Index as the top company to improve its customer services. The evaluation committee cited that all employees of the company tendered their resignation letters to be clean, based on the thermometer for cleanliness, which led the company to win the top place in the national survey on cleanliness improvement.
The committee also noted that the expressway indirectly reduced the prices of automobile fuels at service stations along the expressways around the country by a margin of 30 to 50 won per liter as of Aug. 1, 2006 and upgraded customer service by operating a toll drive service.
The evaluation committee highly appreciated the company's reducing the payment period for vendors and service providers, especially, the construction work from 6 steps to 3 steps, and increasing advance payments to 40 percent of the work assigned from 20 percent, while providing support to the technology development. The company provided 3.3 billion won in support funds over 1,403 cases and bought 656.2 billion won worth of goods from SMEs.
The company also were cited for raising funds in the capital market by issuing asset backed securities and overseas borrowing to meet its need for funds for investment in various projects to spur local economies, totaling some 1.3 trillion won for balanced development of the country and creating some 76,000 jobs around the country.
The committee also noted that the expressway corp. has done its social responsibility to the full by providing transportation service to poor families, including letter information service to the handicapped and launching the world's first sign language broadcast (Hi-Avatar). The company also increased the number of female employees raising the ratio to 25 percent of all employees from 20 percent targeted. The number of local employees was upped to 46 percent over the 30 percent targeted. The number of employees with science degrees rose to 73.4 percent and the number of handicapped employees to 6.5 percent of all employees from 2 percent targeted.
The company also let its employees help homeless people around the Seoul Rail Station in six areas with the annual aggregate number of employees that participated in the project totaling 50,000 to 60,000.
In the area of business, the company developed the 3-D simulation design technology. The company also plans to build more highways network for balanced development of the country as a whole. nw

Chairman & CEO Kwon Do-yup of Korea Expressway Corp.

A view of the Seochang IC in the West Coast Highway.

(photo above) A view of the Seoul Office of the Korea Expressway Corp.
(Photo Below) A view of the entrance o f an animal tunnel in the Seoul-Busan Expressway.