HK Surpasses 300 U.S. Customers, Poised to Benefit from Expanding Semiconductor, Shipbuilding, and Energy Investments

HK, a leading South Korean laser processing machine manufacturer, is accelerating its push into the North American market by expanding its local U.S. customer base to 300 companies. The surge in U.S. manufacturing reshoring and increased investment by domestic and international companies in the U.S. are driving demand for production facilities in major industries such as semiconductors, shipbuilding, and energy, emerging as new growth engines.

On September 8, HK announced that it has surpassed 300 cumulative customers in the U.S., achieved through its local subsidiary, HK America.

Since establishing its U.S. subsidiary in 1999, HK has built an independent sales and service network to target the North American market. Leveraging more than 30 years of experience in the laser processing machine business, the company had supplied over 600 machines to North America as of last year.

Since the subsidiary's establishment, the annual average growth rate in the number of customers has reached 20.1%. In particular, over the past three years, HK has added 42 new client companies, further expanding its customer base.

The increase has not been limited to just the number of customers—repeat purchases from existing clients have also continued. Approximately 30% of HK’s customers in the region have adopted two or more HK laser processing machines, and around 10% have purchased five or more. Based on these figures, HK believes that brand awareness and customer loyalty are rising in the U.S. market.

The competitiveness of its local service is also cited as a key factor in expanding the customer base. HK America has established a service organization centered on local personnel to manage equipment maintenance and after-sales support systems. The company explained that by providing the prompt technical support sought by U.S. customers, it has created a structure that leads to additional orders following initial equipment sales.

Expansion in U.S. manufacturing investment represents an additional growth opportunity. As the U.S. government promotes reshoring initiatives to strengthen the competitiveness of its domestic manufacturing, global companies are either newly building or expanding production facilities. Investments are growing not only for factory construction but also for production equipment and automation line setups across the overall manufacturing infrastructure, which is expected to have a positive impact on demand for metalworking equipment.

Especially if investments by the semiconductor, shipbuilding, and energy sectors accelerate, HK anticipates significant benefits. Expansion of semiconductor production facilities, energy infrastructure, and the U.S. shipbuilding industry’s revival projects will lead to an increased local production base—driving demand for laser processing equipment necessary for parts and component manufacturing.

Laser processing machines, which cut metallic materials at high speed and precision, are utilized across various industries, including automotive, shipbuilding, semiconductor equipment, and energy facilities. As essential equipment enabling the in-house production of components during manufacturing, this sector is expected to grow alongside broader manufacturing investment.

HK’s strategy is to boost its market share based on high-power and high-performance laser processing technologies, as well as its extensive U.S. service network. The company plans to strengthen its position in North America by encouraging repeat purchases from existing customers while also securing new ones.

An HK official stated, “Surpassing 300 cumulative U.S. customers serves as evidence that our equipment and service offerings continue to be recognized in the demanding U.S. manufacturing market. With the revitalization of U.S. manufacturing and growing local investment from both domestic and global firms, we expect steady growth in demand for related equipment.”

The official added, “We will actively leverage our existing customer base and local network to further expand our North American market share, particularly in growth industries such as semiconductors, shipbuilding, and energy.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.