ATDPS innovates pharmacy automation system
A boy who used to deliver medicine from a wholesaler to pharmacies used to watch the pharmacists waste their time wrapping medicine. If the packaging process was automated, he thought, being a pharmacist would be much easier and faster. The boy grew up to become a man who founded Hyupshin Medical Equipment and, 4 years later, launched Korea's first automatic medicine packaging machine. His dream grew bigger, too. Now patents are covering the wall of the company's administration office at Daegu Seongseo industrial complex where JVM headquarters is located. The company has become a global firm whose main product, called the Automatic Tablet Dispensing and Packaging System (ATDPS) takes 64 percent of their total sales. This cutting-edge automated system helps pharmacists focus on consulting and giving instructions about medication, as it handles tasks that normally require 4-5 pharmacists - from classifying the medicine after entering the prescription through a network, to printing the prescription information, managing expiration dates, and checking the stock. JVM has registered 123 patents in Korea and elsewhere and applied for 63 more, which creates a very high entry barrier for potential rivals.
Patents are the key
"The huge success of JVM was largely contributed by our rival Yuyama," Mr. Kim, the company's CEO, says. In 1998, JVM succeeded in developing and producing ATDPS that not only classifies and packages medicine but also calculates the price, checks stock, and even claims medical insurance, an innovation that prepared the company to enter global markets. However, threatened by JVM's strong growth, Yuyama, then the top company in the industry, tried to tackle JVM's exports by filing a lawsuit against them in 2000, claiming that JVM copied their production technology. All hell broke loose for JVM: overseas clients began turning their backs as the company became involved with the legal proceedings. It was a huge blow for the company that used to thrive even during the IMF crisis. While barely surviving by selling wrapping papers for the machine, JVM was cornered by Yuyama's lawsuit for more than three years, until it eventually ended in JVM's victory. However, that tough patent dispute consequently made the company stronger, and CEO Kim started to spur patent applications. The number of patents, which were in the single digits until 2000, is now over 100 in Korea alone. The company has 25 patents in the U.S, with 24 more pending. The products of JVM are now selling at a higher price than the Japanese in the world market.
The Treasure of the Company
At JVM, 10 percent of over 180 employees have a physical disability. Calling them "the treasure of our company," Mr. Kim explains that "people with physical challenges can actually outdo normal people when it comes to tasks that require a high level of concentration." As someone who suffered and defeated lung cancer from 1988, Mr. Kim decided to live a more giving and sharing life by doing volunteer activities in places like Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as hiring people with physical challenges.
