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AI-based brand consulting specialist SUGOLAB has established a corporate research institute and officially launched R&D for manufacturing industry–specialized AI marketing and branding solutions.
The establishment of this research institute is the result of recognition for both technological capability and innovation, meaning that SUGOLAB’s AI brand manager, ARTNEX, now has an official R&D foundation in the market. SUGOLAB’s core AI model, ARTNEX, is not merely an automation tool—it is an AI-based brand management solution that analyzes company-specific business data to support brand diagnosis, strategy design, and marketing execution.
In particular, through collaboration between brand experts and artificial intelligence, the philosophy that “AI is a technology that expands human capabilities, not a replacement for humans” has been realized. From the beginning of the project, SUGOLAB has adhered to the principle of “AI by humans, for humans,” building a model optimized for practical field application.
To develop the ARTNEX AI model specialized for the manufacturing sector, SUGOLAB partnered with the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) to conduct a three-step AI brand consulting demonstration project with over 100 workers in Seoul’s urban manufacturing industry, consisting of:▲ Company-specific brand diagnosis▲ Customized marketing strategy design▲ AI campaign training
The participating companies reported an average satisfaction score of 4.7 out of 5.
In this process, ARTNEX analyzed each company’s production technology and product competitiveness, connecting them to digital marketing and branding strategies, thereby demonstrating a new value chain model that converts “manufacturing technology → brand competitiveness.”
SugoLab emphasized the significance of establishing this corporate research institute as solving marketing challenges for small manufacturing businesses that had remained unresolved, through manufacturing-focused, proprietary AI marketing technology.
As of 2023, the number of domestic manufacturing brands decreased by approximately 9.2% compared to the previous year, and while the participation of young people in their 20s in manufacturing has declined, the proportion of workers in their 50s and 60s has increased. Although these small manufacturers possess sufficient technical capabilities, they lack market responsiveness and digital utilization skills. Addressing this issue has been the core objective. SugoLab plans to focus on developing AI solutions to resolve these structural problems in Korean manufacturing: insufficient market responsiveness and limited digital marketing capabilities.
Looking ahead, SugoLab aims to continuously train AI with practical data from manufacturing sites and to advance AI-based brand diagnosis and campaign support. By doing so, the company seeks to create a proprietary model that links technology and field operations, enhancing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses. Key regional institutions such as Seoul and Gyeonggi Technoparks will serve as central hubs to build global competitiveness.
SugoLab CEO Minju Cha emphasized, “AI is not a technology that takes away human work; it is a tool that enhances human judgment and creativity. ARTNEX is a case of realizing a ‘human-centered problem-solving model,’ rather than a purely technology-driven one.” She added, “Together with CTO Seong-eun Kim, we will use the establishment of this research institute as an opportunity to further expand AI consulting services for small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses, and to continuously develop new brand solutions that combine field-oriented education with technology.”