VEXPLOR
ABOUT — WACE INC.

WACE —the company building the factory OS.

Built by engineers with 16 years across more than 200 manufacturing sites. From data standardization to AI autonomous control to equipment integration — the three things a dark factory needs, all under one roof.

WACE INC. · EST. 2023 · MANUFACTURING AI OS "VEXPLOR" · HWASEONG R&D · JEONJU
00THE NAMEBRAND · WHAT THE NAME MEANS

The engine that runs the factory,
cognitively and on its own.

The name is exactly what we do. We keep the factory running (Work), without people (Autonomous), with sensing and judgment (Cognitive), tied into a single engine — an operating system (Engine). When the four run as one OS inside one company, the factory runs itself. Not four good words, but perception, judgment and action turning on their own on a single operating system — that is WACE.

W

Work

keeps it running

We don't stop at building software — we actually run the factory.

A

Autonomous

on its own, without people

Not automation that needs someone watching, but autonomy that doesn't stop.

C

Cognitive

it perceives

Not blind automation but sensing and judgment — answers tied to standard logic and an ontology, so it doesn't hallucinate.

E

Engine

operating engine · OS

Not a tool but the engine that runs the factory — an operating system. Windows for the PC; VEXPLOR for the factory.

The name we gave that engine

VEXPLOR = Vision + Explore. Even in a dark factory, it sees through the plant with data (Vision) and opens the path to unmanned operation on its own (Explore). VEXPLOR — the factory operating system built by WACE.

VISION

it sees

perceive · sense

It brings scattered equipment, processes and data into one view on standard logic and an ontology — making the invisible factory visible.

EXPLORE

it pioneers

judge · act

It judges from what it sees and opens the path to unmanned operation that doesn't stop, even with no one there.

01COMPANYCORPORATE PROFILE

Company profile

Legal nameWACE Inc.
Product brandVEXPLOR — Manufacturing AI OS
FoundedJanuary 19, 2023
CEODong Gul Bang
Employees18 — including 4 with advanced degrees, centered on engineers from the manufacturing floor
BusinessDevelopment and supply of a manufacturing AI operating system (VEXPLOR Suite) · smart factory build · AI agent build · autonomous factory build · dark factory consulting
HQ (R&D)150 Dongtanyeongcheon-ro, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do — Bldg A, Units 1332–1335
Jeonju office737 Dongbu-daero, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk — 2F, Room 201-J25
Contact+82 70-4730-0629 · contact@wace.me
02WHY WACE3 AXES · VERTICALLY INTEGRATED

The three things a dark factory needs,
all under one roof.

An autonomous factory is not a matter of better equipment but of a single operating system that connects perception, decision and execution end to end. That operating system works only when its three axes connect within one company — break any one axis and people end up filling the gap by hand.

AXIS-1

Smart factory solutions

NERVOUS SYSTEM — SENSE · RECORD

Standardizes the factory's data and work on 834+ standard tables and an ontology. 20 industry solutions, 20+ builds delivered.

AXIS-2

AI autonomous control

BRAIN — DECIDE · LEARN

Hallucination-free manufacturing AI senses, predicts and decides. It moves to execution only on top of simulation verification and AAF authority control.

AXIS-3

Equipment engineering

HANDS — EXECUTE

Connects decisions to physical execution on PLCs, robots and equipment. AI→PLC direct control demonstrated on physical equipment.

03HISTORYHIGHLIGHTS

Our path

2023
The conviction, and the founding
  • Incorporated — founded by engineers with 16 years and 200+ sites on the manufacturing floor, driven by one conviction: the factory has no operating system
  • Began developing the VEXPLOR platform; started building smart factories (MES · PLM)
2024
Foundations and first recognition
  • Korea Credit Guarantee Fund Start-up NEST, 15th cohort — completed in August
  • Started a government Startup Growth (Didimdol) R&D project — ESG supply-chain carbon-neutrality SaaS (Ministry of SMEs and Startups; completed April 2025 with a “completed” evaluation)
  • Encouragement Award, Jeonbuk Startup Challenge J-curve Contest
  • Expanded MES·PLM build sites, accumulating standard-table and ontology assets
2025
Autonomous-factory demonstration · turned profitable
  • Filed the smart-factory autonomous-control AI patent
  • Selected for the Specialized Startup Package (KISED) — carried out through December
  • Selected for Korea’s MSS Autonomous Factory Program (2025) — demonstration site in progress (2025.06–2027.06)
  • Synchronized 217 machines (press · AMR · EMS) under a single OS; digital-twin accuracy 85%, demonstrated at the demonstration site
  • Started Manufacturing-AI projects at two sites
  • Autonomous-control AI patent registered (KR 10-2904772) · revenue grew ~30× YoY, turned profitable
2026
Expansion · standards · going global
  • Filed two manufacturing-AI patents — Graph RAG · neuro-symbolic CPS control
  • Corporate R&D center recognized (No. 2026111564)
  • Won the national manufacturing-data standardization reference-model program (AAS / IEC 63278) — consortium lead
  • Manufacturing-AI expanded to six sites
  • Signed the Microsoft Global Enterprise Collaboration Program (Majung) agreement — VEXPLOR global SaaS underway
  • Selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT “Innovation Premier 1000” — AI agent and platform specialist
  • Real-time Graph RAG patent registered (KR 10-3003470) — two registered patents · one pending
  • Certified as a Venture Business — innovation-growth type (valid through Aug 2029)
  • Selected as a Grand Innovation Technology Award winner at the FIX 2026 Innovation Awards — Future Innovation Tech Expo, Daegu EXCO (ceremony in October)
  • Selected as one of the Top 100 Manufacturing AI Solutions — 2nd Manufacturing AI Solution Competition (TIPA)
  • Filed two corporate wordmark trademark applications — the WACE mark in Korean and in Latin script, classes 9 and 42
  • Launched dark-factory consulting · exhibited at AI FACTORY EXPO
04NUMBERSAS OF 2026.09 · SOURCE: CORPORATE RECORDS

WACE by the numbers

20+Smart factory builds deliveredMES 8+ · PLM 8+ · Autonomous Factory 1 · MFG-AI 6
₩3.65B2026 contracts secured · 11 agreements signed2025 revenue ₩1.4B · profitable
85%Digital-twin accuracy · field demonstrationautonomous factory demonstration
2+1Manufacturing AI patents — registered · pendingREG 10-2904772 · 10-3003470
18Employees — 4 with advanced degreesCentered on engineers from the manufacturing floor
200+Manufacturing sites of experience — 16 yearsConsulting and builds, cumulative
05CREDENTIALSAWARDS · IP · CERTIFICATIONS · STANDARDS

Awards, certifications & credentials

AW-01AwardFIX 2026 Future Innovation tech eXpoGrand Innovation Technology Award winner, FIX 2026 Innovation Awards — Future Innovation Tech Expo (FIX 2026), Daegu EXCO. Ceremony on October 22, 2026.FIX 2026 · GRAND INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY AWARD
AW-02National selectionSelected for the 2026 Ministry of Science and ICT “Innovation Premier 1000” — AI agent and platform specialist (AI category). A cross-government program that picks outstanding SMEs and mid-sized firms by industry and gives them preferential policy financing (108 companies selected by MSIT). Certificate No. 26-003, valid through Dec 31, 2027.MSIT · INNOVATION PREMIER 1000 · 2026
AW-03SelectionSelected as one of the Top 100 Manufacturing AI Solutions in the 2nd Manufacturing AI Solution Competition by the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs (TIPA) — startup track, process and automation AI (VEXPLOR, Sep 2026).TIPA · MANUFACTURING AI TOP 100 · 2026
AW-04AwardEncouragement Award, Jeonbuk Startup Challenge J-curve Contest — recognized for an innovative technology-startup idea (Jeonbuk Center for Creative Economy & Innovation, Oct 21, 2024, No. 2024-1-470).J-CURVE CONTEST · 2024
IP-01PatentsESG smart-factory autonomous-control AI (10-2904772) and real-time Graph RAG (10-3003470) registered · neurosymbolic CPS control (KP26038) pending.REG 2 · PENDING 1
CR-01R&D · QualityCorporate R&D center (No. 2026111564).R&D CENTER
CR-02Source-code escrowThree-party escrow with the Korea Copyright Commission — so the customer can keep using the system even in a worst case.SW ESCROW · 3-PARTY
CR-03National-standard capabilityLed the consortium developing the national manufacturing-data standardization reference model (AAS/IEC 63278).AAS · IEC 63278
CR-04Venture businessCertified venture business (innovation-growth type, valid 2026.08.05 – 2029.08.04, No. 20260805030071).VENTURE · 2026
CR-05Capability assessmentGrade A in the 2026 Smart Factory Supplier Manufacturing-AI Development Capability Assessment — 82.5 out of 100. Assessed by the Korea Inno-Biz Association (Aug 2026), valid for two years from confirmation.MFG-AI CAPABILITY · GRADE A · 2026
06PRESSMEDIA COVERAGE · LATEST FIRST

Press coverage

PR-05AVING News웨이스, FIX 2026서 제조 AI 운영체제 '벡스플로어' 선보여… "공장이 스스로 판단하고 멈추지 않게 한다"Covered WACE, which won the Grand Innovation Technology Award at the FIX 2026 Innovation Awards and joins FIX 2026 (EXCO, Daegu), and its manufacturing AI operating system VEXPLOR.2026.09.22
PR-04Startup DailyWACE opens a free self-check for factory AI readinessCovered the free 10-question self-diagnosis at wace.me/diagnosis that scores a plant's manufacturing AI maturity without sign-up.Startup Daily · 2026.09.02
PR-03Platum중소·중견기업 547개 ‘혁신 프리미어’ 선정…정책금융 우대 집중 지원Results of the second 2026 “Innovation Premier 1000” selection — WACE is on the list of 108 companies selected by the Ministry of Science and ICT.2026.07.21
PR-02Etoday중기부·기정원, 제조데이터 표준화 모델 개발 착수…“누적 500개 목표”Launch of the national manufacturing data standardization reference model program by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and TIPA — WACE’s consortium is named among the five developer consortia.2026.07.01
PR-01Electronic Times웨이스, AI 자율제어 OS 'VEXOPLOR'로 제조업 패러다임 전환Feature on WACE and VEXPLOR, the manufacturing AI operating system that carries AI decisions through to equipment control. The headline spells the product “VEXOPLOR” — a typo by the outlet; the correct name is VEXPLOR.2026.02.18

WACE — where the data-driven autonomous factory begins.

Toward 1,200 VEXPLOR AI Factories in 14 countries by 2032 — WACE's long-term vision.

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