On 12 december 2006 the Dutch companies ING Life Insurance and OTB Solar won the Hamel Trade Awards 2006 for best established company and best newcomer. The Hamel Trade Award is a yearly award for excellence to a company that has contributed substantially to business and trade relations between South Korea and the Netherlands. The jury of the Hamel Trade Awards 2006 consisted of Mr. Tong-Soo Chung, Head of Invest Korea, Mr. Jean-Jacques Grauhar, Secretary General of the EUCCK, Mr. Max Smits, Chairman of the Dutch Business Club in Korea and H.E. Hans Heinsbroek, Ambassador of the Netherlands.
The Nominees for the 2006 Hamel Award for a Company that is already well established in the South Korean market were: ING Life Insurance Korea, ASM International NV and Total Identity. Winner ING Life was established in 1989 and is currently the 4th largest life insurer in Korea servicing 900,000 customers for their financial needs. In 2006 it was rewarded with the Korea Social Contribution coporporate Award and Korea Service Management Award in the financial service – life insurance category.
The Nominees for the 2006 Hamel Award for a company that has only recently entered the South Korean market included OTB Solar, Frico Cheese and Naco. Winner OTB Solar is a leading Dutch manufacturer of solar cell equipment. In 2006 OTB announced the successful installation of a 30 MW production line to the South-Korean solar cell manufacturing company KPE. The total annual capacity of this new production line equals the yearly power consumption of 10,000 European households.
