Now it’s time to take a close look at a small but competitive business making a difference for the Korean economy. This week’s spotlight is on Leeno Industrial, the last company to be examined in our three-part series on the businesses that stood out at Semicon Korea 2016. Leeno Industrial Inc. is a world-leading provider of semiconductor testing solutions, which supplies 20,000 different parts to some 100 companies in 24 countries around the globe. Here’s Mr. Kim Hyung-jin김형진 to tell us more about what kind of business Leeno Industrial Inc. is.

Leeno Industrial was established in November 1978. The company provides testing products and services for the front- and back-end processes, wafer manufacturing, and medical devices, as well as interface solutions.


Leeno Industrial Inc. produces a wide variety of products for testing semiconductors, medical equipment, and batteries used in electric vehicles. At the time of its founding, in 1978, Leeno Industrial was actually a company that manufactured and sold plastic bags. The company was set up by a married couple, who used their last names, Lee and No, to name the company. The company’s beginning was humble, but the couple’s business acumen was remarkable. In the late 1970s when Japanese electronics manufacturers opened plants in Korea, Leeno Industrial changed its business area and started supplying camera cases and cassette tape player components. Its owners also noticed that printed circuit boards were essential components in all electronic goods, so in the mid-1980s, after the company accumulated enough technical know-how, Leeno Industrial started developing PCB testing pins.

The company started out with the PCB testing process. PCBs evolved into semiconductors and then into wafers. The company changed accordingly, developing testing products for those advanced items. We now deal with leading local semiconductor makers, such as Samsung, LG, and SK-Hynix, and overseas customers, which include Apple, Haier, and TSMC.



Leeno Industrial developed test pins that checked whether electric currents flowed smoothly among electronic components, manufactured homegrown test sockets for semiconductor chips and semiconductor probes for package inspection. This innovative semiconductor solutions provider has evolved in step with the growth of the semiconductor industry and now has become a trustworthy partner to many industrial giants worldwide. In particular, the test pins that check for defects in semiconductor components are so reliable that they earned the nickname “Leeno pins.” How did the company transform from a plastic bag manufacturer to a provider of world-renowned semiconductor testing solutions?

I believe the key to our success lies in our employees. They are involved in product design, research and development, as well as production. Today’s Leeno Industrial was built on the skills and know-how of each and every one of our employees.


The strength of Leeno Industrial lies in its total manufacturing process. All manufacturing processes are handled in-house, from product design to precision molding and assembly. Also, the company provides solutions customized to each client’s needs. This 100% in-house manufacturing system enables fast production and delivery to ensure customer satisfaction. When Leeno Industrial receives an order, it draws up a blueprint within an hour and completes sample production and specification checkup within four hours. The company also values its employees. It has cutting-edge production facilities, a company cafeteria that rivals luxury restaurants in food quality and atmosphere, and even a golf course for employees. Such considerations for its employees elicit loyalty as well as outstanding product quality.

Our employees are very thorough when conducting product quality tests. It’s impossible to have zero defects. But while other companies post a 70 or 80% yield, Leeno Industrial has a 95%-plus yield. That means that our testers, operators, or engineers don’t need to conduct so many tests, and that more products are manufactured in a given span of time. This is why Leeno Industrial’s goods are considered better than others.

Leeno Industrial makes it possible for semiconductors to function perfectly by making quality testing equipment. Now the company is looking to venture out to the field of non-memory semiconductors.

We believe that non-memory semiconductors are in essence an integrated solution and the market for non-memory semiconductors is growing rapidly. We want to become involved in this area and catch up with such technological advances. It’s been 35 years since the company was founded, but we still go through trials and errors. But that’s all part of growing up. We need to experience that to develop homegrown technologies and new products.

Not afraid of facing difficult challenges or failures, Leeno Industrial Inc. will continue to keep up with the rapidly changing technological environment and open up new chapters in the semiconductor testing equipment industry.