CASE STUDY
Science Demands Statistical Analysis: How LG Chem Improved Quality with Minitab
Organization
Based in Seoul, South Korea
Creates petrochemicals, drugs, and advanced materials with the goal of providing world-leading quality and cutting-edge technology and products to advance the future life forward.
Product Used
Minitab® Statistical Software
Challenge
LG Chem strives to maintain quality and efficiency in their cutting-edge technologies and manufacturing. The company relies on Minitab to help in this effort, and the team needs to be educated in how to use the solutions for maximum impact.
Results
Minitab contributions helped boost a +73M USD financial gain
Many quality improvements across their lines of business
Widespread use of Minitab across LG Chem, because of Minitab consultants sharing knowledge
Headquartered in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, LG Chem employs 14,460 people in Korea, and an additional 4,890 abroad. LG Chem is a pharmaceutical and chemical company under the LG Group, manufacturing drugs and medical devices, and specializing in intelligent factories and sustainability. Kang Hee Kim, Professional, Head of the Innovation Training Department, at LG Chem said, “My organization is tasked with creating systems for pharmaceutical quality advancement, training stakeholders on these systems, and providing instruction on the use of statistical programs to enable more scientific work methods.”
Why LG Chem Chose Minitab
Mr. Kim said Minitab is the statistical software officially endorsed by the U.S. FDA and is already widely used by other subsidiaries of the LG Group. He also said LG Chem appreciated the cloud-based environment and the superior training and technical support that Minitab Korea provided. LG Chem ultimately decided to use Minitab Statistical Software.
Mr. Kim is responsible for training and guiding the company in effectively implementing advanced pharmaceutical quality systems. This work primarily involves providing Minitab training.
“Minitab performs statistical analysis, the language of science, accurately. It is also highly compatible with other word processing programs, making it easy to incorporate results into documents,” said Mr. Kim.
LG Chem also liked the seamless compatibility that makes it easy to create ANOVA tables and the ability to export the results to other platforms. Mr. Kim said he appreciates that Minitab supports various languages, and by simply changing the language setting, his team can generate analysis results in the chosen language.
The Challenge
Mr. Kim said in order to innovate, the science field must leverage statistics. LG Chem’s biggest challenge was the lack of knowledge among staff and executives regarding statistics and statistical analysis. The biggest challenge was to share knowledge about statistics and provide Minitab training across the company. Mr. Kim’s team provides instruction on how to use Minitab, encourages its use, and demonstrates how statistics and statistical analysis can streamline LG Chem’s operations. “Today, we are creating many Minitab experts within the company, and Minitab continually updates its features, providing further justification for our ongoing use of the program,” said Mr. Kim.
The Solution
LG Chem is using Minitab solutions to solve many tasks, from the production and quality departments to research and development. It is used in the drug design space, to validate test methods, and perform drug stability research. “Pharmaceuticals require statistics from the beginning to the end of development, and most departments at our company use Minitab,” said Mr. Kim.
LG Chem exclusively relies on Minitab to perform Design of Experiments (DOE). Mr. Kim sees DOE as essential for improving quality during pharmaceutical development, and as always, his team provides education and training to ensure it’s used effectively.
“I can't work without Minitab. It has become routine.”
— Kang Hee Kim, Professional, Head of the Innovation Training Department, at LG Chem
The Results
With Minitab in place, LG Chem has seen many quality improvements, including process failure prevention and reducing failed parts.
In 2023, innovation activities at LG Chem resulted in financial gains exceeding 100 billion KRW (well over $73 M in USD). Mr. Kim said he cannot attribute 100% of these achievements solely to Minitab, but can confidently say that Minitab has significantly contributed, and has become an integral part of the day-to-day work culture at his company.
Mr. Kim found that working with the Minitab Korea team was positive and enjoyable. He appreciated that the team consistently proposed novel and productive approaches, and always promptly and positively answered all questions.
“Given its ability to enhance our work processes, we view Minitab as a key factor in the success of our quality improvement program.”
Mr. Kim cites the LG Chem CEO’s interest in and support for Minitab as key success factors, along with having the right organization and personnel to drive the initiative. Competence in Minitab is considered crucial for promotions and evaluations at the company.
“I can't work without Minitab. It has become routine,” Mr. Kim said.