Friday, August 16th, 2013
Established in 2000 as MRO Korea jointly with Grainger International of the United States, the company transformed itself into a social enterprise in 2011 following criticisms of a large corporation moving into the MRO business long considered a turf for small- and medium-sized suppliers. In March last year, it changed its name to Happy Narae. The company hires 10 percent of its employees from senior citizens, children from single-parent families, North Korean defectors, and low-income families.
Earlier on July 12, Happy Narae won a formal certification as a social enterprise from the government under the condition that it hire underprivileged members of society and spend two thirds of its annual earnings on public purposes. With a 2012 sales revenue of 154.2 billion won, Happy Narae is the biggest social enterprise in Korea.
The company will establish the Chinese affiliate by the end of this year. Once the local unit's operation is up and running, it will act as a supplier of office supplies and other materials for SK Group companies such as SK China, SK Hynix, and SK Innovation. It plans to expand its customer base by supplying items to non-affiliated Korean companies and local Chinese companies.