Baillie Gifford, Allianz increase holdings in 3D tech firm Koh Young

Global asset managers are increasing shareholdings in Koh Young Technology Inc., Korea’s leading 3D image measurement tech firm listed in the Kosdaq market.

UK-based investment firm Baillie Gifford Co. announced in the end-November of last year that it has increased its holdings in Koh Young from 7% to 8%. The asset manager, which was the second-largest shareholder of Tesla in June 2020 with a 7.7% stake, started investing in Koh Young in early 2021. 

Allianz Global Investors, an investment firm under global insurer Allianz SE, said last month it increased holdings from 7.1% to 8.2%. Australia’s First Sentier Investors announced it holds 5.1% stakes in the South Korean tech company. The combined shareholding by the three asset managers is 21.4%, larger than the holdings company Koh Young Holdings’ shareholding rate of 20%. The three investment firms’ shareholdings have no relations with management right, a Koh Young official said. 

In addition, US investment manager Wellington Management owns a 4% stake in the Korean tech firm. Investment firm Robo Global’s Robo Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF holds nearly 3%.

Koh young said its world-leading 3D solder paste inspection (SPI) technology has attracted global investments. SPI is a technique for testing printed circuit boards (PCBs), which are used in smartphones, computers and semiconductors, to make sure that they are printed correctly. 

“Overseas investors are particularly interested in our 3D automated optical inspection (AOI), a visual inspection of PCB manufacture to test the device’s quality. The investors expect this technology will become more important as the global automotive electronics industry rapidly expands,” a Koh Young official said. 

The company has also built trust with global investors through its efforts in environmental, social and governance. It has earned the highest AA rating from Sustinvest, Korea’s ESG assessment institute, for two consecutive years since 2020. The tech firm is publishing annual ESG reports to share the related activities with investors.

Founded in 2002, Koh Young is leading 3D image technology for medical robots, semiconductors, mobile devices and other sectors. Since late 2020, it has provided its 3D neurosurgery robot KYMERO to Yonsei University’s Severance Hospital, one of the biggest and oldest hospitals in Korea. Last July, it signed an agreement with Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, one of the largest hospitals in Korea as well, to supply the robot.

Write to Dong-Hyun Kim at 3code@hankyung.com
Jihyun Kim edited this article.