SEMI announced that Joung Cho (JC) Kim, chairman, Edwards Korea Limited, is the recipient of the 14th annual SEMI Sales and Marketing Excellence Award, inspired by the late Bob Graham. This award for outstanding contributions in semiconductor equipment and materials marketing was presented today to JC Kim during SEMICON Korea 2013 in Seoul.
Over his 30+ year career, JC Kim has had a major impact on the industry. In 1985, semiconductor manufacturers used rotary pumps. JC Kim introduced Fomblin oil from Italy to the Korean market, which reduced pump process problems and resulted in substantial process improvement, higher productivity and cost savings. He was also involved in marketing a new vacuum pump design, called the "Dry pump" and he demonstrated the pump’s value by providing overseas references and reliability data. He persuaded manufacturers to try the dry pump on their production lines, contributing to higher productivity and a more stable process. In addition, he improved service efficiency for Dry pumps by establishing 24-hour/day on-site field service offices in or near customer fabs, preventing large production losses from process interruption. JC Kim continues to advocate for understanding the importance of vacuum p umps in semiconductor manufacturing and their considerable impact on semiconductor process development.
JC Kim is a champion for the development of the vacuum industry. He held the position of vice chairman of the Korea Vacuum Society (KVS) and chairman of the Korean Vacuum Research Association (KOVRA) from 2000 to 2004, serving as a bridge between industry and the academic world so that university vacuum R&D could be used in the semiconductor industry. Also, in 2007, JC Kim became vice chairman of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association (KSIA) which consists of 235 semiconductor industry related companies in Korea. In this role, he encouraged semiconductor business growth through vacuum industry development by active exchange of technology and information among KSIA members. He continues to build university-industry collaboration to connect technology and human resources from universities to semiconductor companies.
In July 2002, JC Kim was appointed to the SEMI Board of Directors, becoming vice chairman in 2008 and chairman in 2009. He has provided the board with valuable guidance and direction — for tradeshows, executive events, emerging markets, EHS services and Standards — during some of the most complex times in SEMI’s history.
"JC’s unique sales and marketing leadership in vacuums and his contributions to various industry associations have made an indelible mark on the global semiconductor industry," said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. "Today, SEMI and its membership officially recognize JC for his contributions to the success of our industry."
The SEMI Sales and Marketing Excellence Award was inspired by the late Bob Graham, the distinguished semiconductor industry leader who was part of the founding team of Intel and who helped establish industry-leading companies Applied Materials and Novellus Systems. The Award was established to honor individuals for the creation and/or implementation of marketing programs that enhance customer satisfaction and further the growth of the semiconductor equipment and materials industry.
Eligible candidates are nominated by their industry peers and are selected by an award committee. Previous recipients include: Art Zafiropoulo (2000), Jim Healy and Barry Rapozo (2001), Jerry Hutcheson and Ed Segal (2002), Steve "Shigeru" Nakayama (2003), Edward Braun (2004), Archie Hwang (2005), Aubrey C. (Bill) Tobey (2006), Richard Dyck (2007), Richard Hong (2008), Peter Hanley (2009), Martin Van Den Brink (2010), Franz Janker (2011) and Dan Hutcheson (2012).