Webpackaging recently took some time out with Tae Hyeon Kim the CEO of Darin Co Ltd, the first manufacturer of pump dispensers and trigger sprayers in South Korea and one of the top manufacturers in the region, supported by the awards won and the faith garnered in the company by well known brands like Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, L'Oreal, LG or Revlon. The pioneering company is no doubt one of the top manufacturers in South Korea —with good reason— and is working hard to be the "world best".

Hello! Please can you introduce yourself...

My name is Tae Hyeon Kim and I am the CEO of Darin Co Ltd. I am currently managing every business aspect of Darin in Korea, China and Thailand, etc. In particular, research & development and quality assurance of the products from independent departments are managed in detail through myself.

Darin has been in business for over 40 years. How have things changed during that time?

Darin was the first manufacturer of the pump dispenser and trigger sprayer in South Korea. We have maintained over a 75% share of the personal care product market in South Korean market share for the last 40 years, and we still continue to grow as the leading company in the dispenser industry.

We manufacture our own specialized product which is focused on the customer, and we satisfy customer's needs through the development of customer's customized products and design.

We have been building and maintaining excellent business partnerships, not only in South Korea, but on a global scale, for a long time. We have received the "Best Supplier" award from partners such as, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, L'Oreal, LG, Amore Pacific etc, numerous times and have been recognized as one of the top major companies in South Korea for many years.

We recognize the importance investing in innovation and have numerous patents that are related to technology development and design, and certifications both domestically here in South Korea as well as internationally such as ISO 9001, 14001, 15378 and single PPM.

Your product line is specifically packaging dispensing systems. How do you develop new product lines?

As Darin is a pioneer company in the area of pump dispensers in South Korea, one of the factors that makes our company the best is the ability to develop a standard type of pump, but at the same time, we are capable of customizing and specializing according to the needs of the customer.

We manage our own R&D centers in South Korea and China to respond to local customer's requests immediately and efficiently. We also have 58 domestic and international patents and certificates of design, and are continuing to increase our technology for new patents every year.

Are you working on any new products or product lines right now?

Yes. Our current focus is mostly on environmentally-friendly product development. All of the plastic pump dispensers (excluding metallic parts) that are already in our product range and in the motion for mass production, are already environmentally friendly and we are investing all of our resources in making all of our products environmentally friendly.

In the future, we are planning to focus our resources in developing plastic for food packaging that is harmless to human health as well as the environment. 

As you are based in South Korea, are your customers local or international brands?

Both. Not only are we working in partnership with domestic companies such as LG Household & Health Care, Amore Pacific, Aekyung, and more, but we also have partnerships with global companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and Kimberly-Clark, etc.

Our factory in China is designated as an official supplier for L'Oréal, and we also work with Revlon and other global cosmetic companies in new product development for beauty and personal care lines.

Do you offer decoration services?

At the moment Darin currently does not offer direct decoration services but only provides it through outsourced companies. However, by 2020, we are planning to invest in this so that we will be able to provide it ourselves, expanding our decoration services.

Darin is very environmentally conscious. In what ways do you work to reduce your carbon footprint and protect the environment.

Darin is currently in the development of inventing new pump dispensers that require less plastic parts and work more efficiently. As I mentioned before, we are also focusing our resources into becoming an environmentally-friendly company and in order to do that, we are considering the use of raw materials that are made from wood or that are biodegradable so that they will not affect the environment in a negative way.

You're also well known for your high level of service in addition to high quality packaging. How do you work with customers to ensure they are satisfied?

Darin's biggest advantage is prompt action which has meant that we maintain a high market share in South Korea for more than 20 years, this as well as maintaining business with major global companies.

We comply with customer satisfaction through responding promptly to a customer's request, a short product development and ALWAYS listening to a customer closely. Our own specialized action that we are one step ahead of customer's request is the most advantageous.

We satisfy each and every customer's trust and are always trying to provide stability too.

How can potential customers stay up-to-date with your latest product releases?

At Darin, we regularly attend well known packaging events both in Asia and internationally. During the next year we will be exhibiting at Cosmoprof North America, Hong Kong and Bologna. We will also have innovations at Cosme Tech, China Beauty Expo and Cite Japan.

Last November, we established our United States office to introduce our products to North American pump distributors and household goods manufacturers, and we promote our products a lot through our overseas offices.