Until recently, South Korean seafood companies largely relied on international machinery to handle their filleting needs, as no major domestic player had stepped up to the plate on a large scale.
Sensing an opportunity in the domestic market, Chamco Chungha Machinery, a seafood-processing technology manufacturer based out of Busan, rushed to fill that void.
The company collaborated closely with the South Korean government to develop filleting technology for the domestic industry, and has since become a global brand with partner companies in Spain, Japan, Singapore, Poland, and Russia, among others.
That market penetration, whether domestically or abroad, is largely thanks to the work of Seokbong Jeong, the president of Chamco Chungha.
With a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering, Jeong said he has always fancied himself an innovator and has taken a hands-on approach to the designs Chamco has developed over the past 30 years for the seafood industry.
“We aren’t just focused on making processing easy or returning high yields, we are also focused on cleanliness and safety, in addition to offering our products at an affordable price point,” Jeong said through the translation services of Chamco Manager Kyungmin Park at the 2024 Seafood Expo North America (SENA), which took place 10 to 12 March in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Jeong often attends seafood shows to highlight Chamco’s machinery worldwide, tailoring his presentations to each show he attends.
“We always attend SENA and Seafood Expo Global (SEG) to increase our brand awareness around the world,” Jeong said. “Our main item at this [year’s SENA] is a salmon-processing machine, as well as filleting machines for flatfish.”
While other companies sell machines solely dedicated to one step of seafood processing, Jeong said his company offers a full suite of machines that can allow a buyer to skin, cut, descale, defrost, and cook fish efficiently and effectively.
According to Jeong this allows buyers to source from just one trusted company, instead of requiring multiple manufacturing partners.
Jeong also said his company’s wide range of high-quality products places Chamco in an ideal spot moving forward as consumers place a heavier focus on convenience and freshness.
“Food trends are changing all the time, and I think our machines work with the convenience market perfectly,” Jeong said. “For example, you only need five minutes to cook high-quality fish in one of our steam ovens at a large scale. That makes our machines attractive to buyers.”
