Leading Global Business with Drive and Determination! Hyein Kim, PB, Overseas Sales Team
KoMiCo, a company specializing in the cleaning and coating of semiconductor equipment Parts, has a team that communicates closely with customers around the world.
That team is the Overseas Sales Team. The Overseas Sales Team receives a wide range of requests from global customers, collaborates with relevant internal departments, and carefully manages the entire process from product receiving to shipment.
Today, we met with Hyein Kim, PB of the Overseas Sales Team, who is in charge of OEM customers in the Americas and Europe, to learn more about the team’s responsibilities, the appeal of the role, and the key competencies required for the position.
Q. Please introduce yourself and your team.
Hello, I am Hyein Kim, PB of KoMiCo’s Overseas Sales Team.
KoMiCo’s Overseas Sales Team manages and supports the business operations of KoMiCo’s global subsidiaries from the headquarters level.
At the same time, we directly manage various projects for overseas OEM customers from start to finish, coordinating closely to ensure that customer requirements are smoothly reflected throughout the process.
Externally, we communicate closely with customers, while internally, we collaborate with various related departments such as production, technology, and quality to deliver the best possible results for customer requests.
Within the team, I am responsible for OEM customers in the Americas and Europe, handling overall response tasks from receiving customer requests and coordinating internally to managing schedules and shipments.
Q. What are some unique experiences or appealing aspects of the Overseas Sales Team?
Since we handle business with overseas customers, there are many opportunities to experience work related to overseas business trips and global exhibitions.
For example, we support overseas subsidiaries participating in global exhibitions such as SEMICON from the headquarters level, and we may also accompany overseas business trips for customer meetings.
I also had the opportunity to go on a business trip to SEMICON CHINA during my first year at the company.
I believe the opportunity to meet customers from various countries in person and introduce KoMiCo’s technologies and services is a truly unique experience that can only be gained in the Overseas Sales Team.
Q. What does a typical day in the Overseas Sales Team look like?
Since we work with overseas customers across different time zones, the day begins by checking emails and purchase order updates that came in overnight.
In the morning, I review customer requests and order details, and check whether internal processes are progressing smoothly.
During this process, I also confirm delivery schedules and share progress updates with customers when needed.
In the afternoon, much of my work involves communicating with internal departments to coordinate delivery schedules or resolve technical issues.
Finding the most appropriate balance between urgent customer requests and internal production schedules is not always easy, but I believe this is one of the most important roles the Overseas Sales Team must fulfill.
Q. What value do you emphasize most when explaining semiconductor cleaning and coating services to overseas customers?
The most important value I communicate to customers is KoMiCo’s outstanding quality and technological capabilities.
There are many companies in the market that provide semiconductor parts cleaning and coating services, but I believe many customers choose KoMiCo because of its stable quality and technical know-how accumulated through years of experience.
In particular, KoMiCo’s strength lies not only in providing cleaning and coating services, but also in its ability to connect those services with the necessary analysis and measurement processes within a single company. From the customer’s perspective, this allows them to verify cleaning and coating results more accurately and objectively evaluate quality conditions, which builds greater trust in KoMiCo’s integrated technical services.
For overseas customers, choosing a local supplier may sometimes be more advantageous if delivery time is the only consideration. Nevertheless, I believe customers continue to choose KoMiCo because our quality competitiveness and technical capabilities have already been proven, and because we can provide a systematic service that extends from cleaning and coating to analysis and measurement.
In fact, many customers are highly interested in KoMiCo’s technical expertise, quality level, and analysis capabilities, so I focus on communicating these strengths when responding to customer inquiries.
Q. What is the most challenging part of your work?
The most challenging part is accurately communicating specialized technical details related to coating and cleaning semiconductor parts to overseas customers.
When I first joined the company, I consistently studied by referring to English company introduction videos and materials to understand the types and characteristics of KoMiCo’s technical services. Although it was not an easy process, I see it as a valuable opportunity to quickly understand the company’s technologies and services while also strengthening my foreign language skills.
Q. Is there a memorable project or moment when you felt especially rewarded?
One of the most memorable projects currently underway is the first POR coating-related request received from the world’s No. 1 EUV equipment manufacturer.
In general, equipment manufacturers often carry out work related to equipment performance improvement or parts quality enhancement internally. However, this project was especially meaningful because the customer directly requested coating services from KoMiCo in recognition of our cleaning and coating quality and technological capabilities.
For this project, we actively proposed KoMiCo’s AD, PVD, and ALD coating technologies in line with the customer’s requirements. We then produced test coupons and mockups with the same shape as the requested product, conducted tests, and carried out research to review coating characteristics and applicability. The test product has now moved on to the customer evaluation stage, with follow-up reviews currently in progress.
As the person in charge of this project, I have felt a strong sense of accomplishment while leading the overall process, from receiving the customer request and conducting internal technical reviews to producing test samples, carrying out tests, and communicating with the customer.
Going forward, I would like to continue managing this project with a strong sense of responsibility so that it can successfully lead to mass production. It is a very meaningful project for me, as it represents an opportunity to expand collaboration with global customers based on KoMiCo’s advanced technological capabilities.
Q. What do you think are the key competencies required for overseas sales?
I believe the most essential competency for overseas sales is drive.
Overseas sales is not simply about being good at foreign languages. Externally, we communicate directly with customers, while internally, we need to understand the challenges faced by various related departments and coordinate between both sides.
I believe the drive to accurately understand customer needs, collaborate with internal departments, and follow through until the desired results are achieved is an essential competency for KoMiCo’s overseas sales professionals.
Q. What are your future professional goals?
I would like to continue actively responding to new coating, cleaning, and analysis requests from various OEM customers.
Beyond simply receiving and managing customer requests, my goal is to propose technical services that meet customer needs and successfully lead projects through to actual mass production.
I also hope to strengthen partnerships with key customers and contribute to promoting KoMiCo’s technological capabilities and competitiveness more widely in the global market. Through this, I aim to grow into a trusted global sales professional for both customers and the company.
Q. What would you like to say to those preparing to join KoMiCo’s Overseas Sales Team?
As I mentioned earlier, I believe drive and persistence are truly important in the Overseas Sales Team.
When communicating directly with customers, it is important not only to accept customer requests as they are, but also to have the drive to coordinate them in a realistic direction. At the same time, persistence is also essential in responsibly managing products from receiving to shipment.
Foreign language skills are basically required, but even if you feel that your skills are not yet perfect, I believe you can grow enough if you have the willingness to learn and the confidence to take on challenges. If you want to grow by communicating directly with global customers, the Overseas Sales Team will offer you many valuable experiences.
🔈 Curious about the positions currently open for recruitment?
Please visit the KoMiCo recruitment website below!
