KOTRA Hosts Global Partnership in Chicago; 61 Korean MPE Companies Participate

Over 200 Consultations with Stellantis, GM, and Others

Expansion into Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) Sector

Domestic materials, parts, and equipment companies have launched an aggressive push to enter the supply chains of major U.S. manufacturers, in response to expanding manufacturing investment and artificial intelligence transformation (M.AX) in the United States.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) announced on the 11th that it hosted the "2026 Global Partnership (GP) – USA Edition" in Chicago over two days starting from the 8th, to support Korean materials, parts, and equipment (MPE) companies in entering North American supply chains.

Sixty-one Korean MPE companies participated in this event, holding more than 200 one-on-one business-to-business (B2B) meetings with over 20 leading U.S. manufacturers in the automotive, heavy machinery, agricultural machinery, power, and automation sectors, including Stellantis, General Motors, and CNH.

The Global Partnership (GP) project is KOTRA’s flagship export support program, designed to facilitate Korean MPE companies’ entry into the supply chains of global manufacturers with annual revenues exceeding 100 million dollars through various matching opportunities. In particular, this year’s project significantly expanded its focus beyond the traditional automotive and machinery sectors to encompass manufacturing AI and automation, in response to growing investments in production facilities, higher productivity demands, and the need to address skilled labor shortages, all stemming from U.S. government policies on reshoring and the "Buy American" initiative and the increasing demand for M.AX.

During the event, there was also a sample showcase allowing participants to directly experience Korean companies’ products and technologies. A representative from Stellantis commented, "We are seeking Korean battery material and equipment companies with competitive edge in the secondary battery segment. We were able to conduct meaningful business meetings with technologically advanced Korean firms, and we plan to continue follow-up discussions."

In addition, KOTRA collaborated with Korea Southern Power to support local project participation by power companies, and partnered with the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency to host the "USA Market Entry Strategy Seminar," which addressed strategies for protecting intellectual property rights such as patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. KOTRA plans to convert the collaborative opportunities identified through its post-event support and follow-up consultations into actual export contracts, and will continue to explore new M.AX growth projects, especially in the Midwest region of the United States.

Kang Kyungseong, President of KOTRA, stated, "As U.S. manufacturing investment, automation, and supply chain restructuring accelerate, the demand to collaborate with competitive Korean MPE companies is increasing. We will systematically strengthen our support to ensure that the supply chain, joint development, and investment cooperation links between the two countries’ businesses, identified through this project, will continue to expand."

KOTRA held the "2026 Global Partnership USA" in Chicago, USA, for two days starting from the 8th to support the participation of domestic materials, parts, and equipment companies in the global supply chain. Export consultations are taking place between global automakers such as GM and domestic companies. KOTRA

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