Engineering & Construction

Passionate team leader, Lee Sung-doo interview

October 28, 2021

Samsung C&T Global PR Manager

The FAB¹⁾ construction projects of Samsung C&T’s Engineering & Construction Group are renowned throughout the industry for their high standards. Samsung C&T’s E&C Group started its high-tech business in 1980, participating in the construction of Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor assembly plant in Bucheon, near Seoul. Since then, it has been a strong player in the FAB construction field for over 40 years. Let us meet Lee Sung-doo, a passionate team leader and master of negotiations who for 25 years has been passionately and exclusively focused on the field of high-tech.

1) FAB stands for fabrication, which means semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the semiconductor industry.

25 years of varied experience

In 2006, Samsung C&T’s E&C Group formed a task force together with Samsung Electronics and Samwoo Architects & Engineers and began benchmarking the construction of eco-friendly semiconductor plants that reduced construction investment costs by 30 percent. At that time, Lee Sung-doo was a member of the high-tech team and his role was to ensure that the architecture team, the mechanical and electrical team and the research institute all collaborated well. The task force reviewed 442 investment and operating cost reduction items over 16 months, and generated results that were able to lower costs by 78.2 billion won at the 17-line semiconductor construction site.

“In order to greatly reduce costs, we need to know the root cause of the environmental conditions required by production facilities. There is a limit to how much costs can be reduced without changing the given environmental conditions.”

In 2011, Samsung C&T’s E&C Group organized a new vapor reduction task force to pilot a project at five FAB to reduce the odors of volatile organic compounds. At that time, it was difficult to select a basic design firm when executing the construction after completing the pilot project. But after several rounds of discussions, it was judged that the technology of Samsung C&T’s E&C Group was sufficient to carry the project out on its own. Lee Sung-doo was instrumental in persuading the then-team leader to carry out the construction work. He says, “As a result, it was a special experience that resulted in nearly 200 billion won in orders and showed us that our judgment was right,” adding, “It also taught me the taste of success after suffering some earlier defeats.”

Passion team leader, Lee Sung-doo

Without ceasing, Lee Sung-doo strives to adapt new technologies to projects. His frequent efforts to search for case studies of new technologies used overseas and to find new technologies that can contribute to projects have become like second nature.

“I feel good when the results come in, such as increased efficiency brought on by applying the technology, I thought was suitable to the project. Sometimes I fail, but I believe that failure will nourish and return as a reward next time.”

Lee Sung-doo’s colleagues are inspired by him studying even during lunch time and spending his spare time walking to maintain his condition.

Leading the technical team at the Asan 7-2 Line Retrofit

Lee Sung-doo worked for a design company for four years and has worked for a German-based high-tech engineering firm for seven years, and now Samsung C&T for 18 years, making 25 years of dedication to the field of high-tech construction. He currently leads the technology team at the Asan 7-2 Line Retrofit site, a project to convert an existing LCD manufacturing line into an OLED one. In addition, he is in charge of reviewing new construction methods, new technology development, verification, and structure in cooperation with the relevant departments at Samsung C&T E&C headquarters.

Due to the nature of the team’s work, there are many meetings with and reports issued to the client. On busy days, Lee Sung-doo sometimes attends four to five meetings a day. Despite this situation, Lee thinks through the processes without any signs of discomfort and calmly solves any issues. This comes from long experience and much accrued know-how.

“It’s hard sometimes. But rather than getting worked up about it, I focus on solving what I have to do. I respond by prioritizing. And when there are delays, I ask for understanding by explaining the situation.”

Master of many things

Skilled in the FAB design and construction, troubleshooting, and negotiations, Lee Sung-doo is not shaken by any difficulties. He says there is no particular secret: he simply has first-rate competent and responsible colleagues, and the relevant departments of Samsung C&T E&C headquarters help him with expertise. Therefore, all he needs to do is trust his colleagues and follow company directives.

“The team members who work with me also have a lot of experience and skills. As a team leader, I’m making efforts to create conditions for my members to focus on their expertise.”

Colleagues have evaluated Lee Sung-doo to be unrivaled as a technical team leader with his unwavering attitude and drive. When there is a problem on a site that needs to be resolved, the person in charge at the client company contacts Lee Sung-doo first in recognition of his skills and competencies. Moreover, members of his team seek advice from him on issues that are not easy to resolve. As can be seen, Lee Sung-doo is a person admired by both clients and colleagues.