What Charis does

Charis (카리스) is a privately held Korean medical-device manufacturer founded in 1984 (formally incorporated in 1986 as Ari-O Industrial, rebranded to Karis Industrial in 1996) that designs, produces, and sells sterilization, warming, and cleaning equipment for healthcare, dental, wellness, and personal-care facilities. Its core product portfolio spans seven categories: medical-grade high-pressure steam sterilizers (Class B autoclaves in 25L and 45L configurations), DRYSTER® dry-heat sterilizers (10–72L capacities that operate without distilled water), UVSter® medical UV disinfectant chambers and trays, far-infrared medical irradiators for pain relief, a full range of UV sterilizers (small, medium, toothbrush-specific, and UV drying cabinets up to 459L), electric and steam warming cabinets (8–150L) including the KRS-WM8 small warmer, hot-pack warming units (analog and digital up to 140L), and steam cleaners. Underlying technologies are electromechanical — UV-C lamp arrays, saturated-steam pressure vessels, high-temperature dry-heat chambers, and resistive heating with thermostat control — rather than software- or AI-driven, and the company has built proprietary brand identifiers (UVSter®, DRYSTER®) plus a portfolio of Korean and Japanese patents and design registrations around packaging, door-lock, and warming-cabinet mechanisms.

Charis is headquartered at a single manufacturing facility in Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (relocated in August 2009), and operates as a stock company (주식회사) under founder-CEO Lee Hak-yong, with no disclosed external investors, subsidiaries, or parent entities. Revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time capital-equipment hardware sales (medical sterilizers, UV sterilizers, warming cabinets, hot-pack units, steam cleaners) under a quotation-based B2B model, distributed domestically through an authorized after-sales-service agent (공식 A/S 대리점) network combined with direct enterprise inquiries via the bilingual corporate website (karis.co.kr). The company holds KGMP, ISO 13485, CE, PSE, UL/MET, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications, supports Korean Type 2 medical-device approvals on its regulated product lines, and has an OEM/ODM relationship with Samsung Medison (probe sterilizer for ultrasound equipment, 2017), reflecting a niche, regulation-driven, founder-led B2B medical-device operator focused on the Korean domestic market with limited but pre-positioned international certification footprint.

Name

Charis

Legal name

(주)카리스

Website

https://karis.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Sterilization Equipment

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Sterilization Equipment & Systems (Autoclaves, Low-Temp, ETO, H2O2, UV) (HLAHANAA)

Keywords

• Medical sterilization equipment
• UV disinfection devices
• Dry heat sterilizers
• Medical warming cabinets
• High pressure steam autoclaves

Headquarters

HQ city

Hasong

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Medical Sterilization Equipment Sales: Charis generates revenue through the sale of medical sterilization devices including autoclaves (고압증기멸균기), dry heat sterilizers (건열멸균기), and UV sterilizers. These are Class B medical devices requiring regulatory approval, sold as one-time capital equipment purchases to healthcare facilities.
2. UV Sterilization Devices: Sales of consumer and medical-grade UV sterilization products including small, medium, and toothbrush sterilizers. Also includes chamber-type and tray-type medical UV disinfectors for healthcare settings.
3. Warming and Hot Pack Equipment: Revenue from electric warming cabinets (온장고), steam warming devices, and hot pack units (핫팩유니트) for medical and wellness applications. Products range from small personal units to large capacity models.
4. Steam Cleaner Products: Commercial and medical steam cleaning equipment including steam hammer washing functionality for deep cleaning applications in healthcare and beauty sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Charis manufactures and sells Class B medical sterilization equipment for healthcare facilities, including high-pressure steam sterilizers (autoclaves), DRYSTER dry heat sterilizers, UVSter medical UV disinfectants (chamber and tray types), and medical far-infrared irradiators. The company also produces consumer and clinical UV sterilizers, electric and steam warming cabinets, hot pack units, and steam cleaners. Products carry KGMP, ISO 13485, CE, PSE and UL certifications and are sold through an authorized agent network to hospitals, clinics, dental offices, and personal care facilities.

Product overview

Charis (카리스) is a Korean medical device manufacturer founded in 1984, producing a comprehensive portfolio of sterilization, disinfection, warming, and cleaning equipment. The product line is organized into six main categories: (1) Medical Sterilizers including high-pressure steam sterilizers (KRS-AC25B, KRS-AC45B) and dry heat sterilizers branded as DRYSTER (KRS-DS10V/VP through KRS-DS70V/VP); (2) Medical UV Disinfectants including UVSter Chamber types (KRS-600T, KRS-650T, KRS-700T) and UVSter Tray types (KRS-UST28); (3) Far-Infrared Medical Irradiators for pain relief; (4) UV Sterilizers spanning small (KRS-985), medium (KRS-989, KRS-0505B, KRS-0505C, KRS-A1), and toothbrush-specific models (KRS-TB A/B/C), plus UV Drying Sterilizers (KRS-401T, KRS-402T, KRS-101 through KRS-105); (5) Warming/Heat Preservation Equipment including small electric warmers (KRS-WM8), digital warmers (KRS-200D, KRS-202D), analog warmers (KRS-203 through KRS-206), and steam warmers (KRS-4PS through KRS-12PS); and (6) Hot Pack Units in both analog (KRS-4P, KRS-12P, KRS-24P) and digital variants (KRS-6PD through KRS-24PD); and (7) Steam Cleaners (KRS-SC100, KRS-SC200, KRS-AP30). The portfolio is unified by shared KRS model naming conventions and complementary sterilization/warming technologies serving medical, dental, and personal care markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High-Pressure Steam Sterilizer (Autoclave, 고압증기멸균기) Class B high-pressure steam sterilizer using saturated steam to sterilize solid, hollow, and porous medical materials. Features full-color touchscreen control monitoring sterilization cycle status. Models include KRS-AC25B (25L) and KRS-AC45B (45L). Sold as Class B medical devices to hospitals, clinics, and dental offices.
• DRYSTER Dry Heat Sterilizer (건열멸균기) Eco-friendly dry heat sterilizer that uses high temperature without distilled water. Suitable for metal products, dental orthodontic devices, implant products, and vaseline gauze sterilization. Capacity range spans KRS-DS10V/VP (10L) through KRS-DS70V/VP (72L). Sold as a regulated medical device to healthcare and dental facilities.
• UVSter Chamber - Medical UV Disinfectant (의료용 자외선소독기 챔버형) Chamber-type medical UV disinfectant for preventing secondary infection and cross-contamination of sterilized medical instruments. UV-C lamp chamber configurations include KRS-600T, KRS-650T, and KRS-700T ranging up to 60L. Targeted at hospitals, clinics, and dental offices.
• UVSter Tray - Medical UV Disinfectant Tray Type (의료용 자외선소독기 트레이형) Tray-type independent storage UV sterilizer that combines drying and UV disinfection in one unit for medical instruments. KRS-UST28 offers 30L capacity (15L per compartment) with 28-tray storage, UV + drying modes, max 70°C. Sold to healthcare facilities for instrument disinfection workflows.
• Medical Far-Infrared Irradiator (의료용 원적외선조사기) Medical far-infrared irradiator that alleviates pain in affected areas through infrared radiation (照射). Targeted at wellness, rehabilitation, and pain management use in physical therapy and clinical settings.
• UV Sterilizer (자외선살균기) UV sterilizers using UV lamps available in small (KRS-985, KRS-989), medium (KRS-0505B/C, KRS-A1), toothbrush-specific (KRS-TB A/B/C), and UV drying configurations (KRS-101 through KRS-105, KRS-401T/402T) up to 459L. Sold to clinics, dental offices, esthetic facilities, and personal care buyers.
• Electric Warming Cabinet (온장고) Electric warming cabinets with automatic temperature control, available in small (KRS-WM8, 8L), digital (KRS-200D, KRS-202D), and large analog (KRS-203 to KRS-206, 60–150L) variants. Holds Korean and Japanese design and patent certifications. Sold to hospitals, clinics, and spa/therapy facilities for warming medical supplies, towels, and therapeutic items.
• Steam Warmer (스팀온장고) Steam-based humidifying warmer that uses steam for moisture-infused warming. Models include KRS-4PS (20L), KRS-6PS (37L), KRS-8PS (58L), and KRS-12PS (82L, digital control). Sold to hospitals, beauty, and wellness facilities.
• Hot Pack Unit (핫팩유니트) Hot pack warming units available in analog (KRS-4P, KRS-12P, KRS-24P) and digital (KRS-6PD, KRS-8PD, KRS-12PD, KRS-24PD, up to 140L) variants with automatic reservation operation. Sold to hospitals, physiotherapy clinics, and spa facilities for heating therapeutic hot packs.
• Steam Cleaner (스팀클리너) Steam cleaners using high-pressure steam and high-temperature water with steam hammer washing functionality for deep cleaning. Models include KRS-SC100, KRS-SC200, and KRS-AP30 (5.5L stainless steel tank, 1.6 kW, 3.8–5.0 kgf/cm² operating pressure). Sold to healthcare and beauty sector buyers.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Samsung MedisoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2017Charis developed a probe sterilizer specifically for Samsung Medison medical ultrasound equipment in May 2017. This co-development relationship demonstrates Charis's capability to create customized sterilization solutions for major medical device manufacturers' specific product requirements.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CISA: Italian producer of steam sterilizers, washer-disinfectors, and hospital hygiene equipment. Closely matches Charis's autoclave and medical device sterilization product categories.
• Tuttnauer: Israeli-founded, globally operating manufacturer of autoclaves and steam sterilizers for medical, dental, and laboratory markets. Closely comparable to Charis's high-pressure steam sterilizer and Class B autoclave product line.
• Midmark: US-based manufacturer of medical and dental equipment including steam and dry-heat sterilizers. Comparable to Charis in serving dental and medical office sterilization needs with capital equipment.
• SciCan: Canadian company known for STATIM tabletop sterilizers and dental/medical infection-control equipment. Directly comparable to Charis's Class B small sterilizers and dental/medical sterilization portfolio.
• Belimed: Swiss sterilization, disinfection, and infection-control solutions provider serving hospitals and laboratories. Comparable to Charis's core medical sterilization equipment business and hospital customer segment.
• Steelco: Italian manufacturer of sterilization, disinfection, and laundry equipment for healthcare and laboratory markets. Directly comparable to Charis in steam/dry-heat sterilization capital equipment offerings.
• W&H: Austrian manufacturer of dental devices and sterilization equipment, including autoclaves and hygiene devices. Comparable to Charis in the dental sterilization niche and adjacent medical sterilization systems.
• MELAG: German specialist in Class B steam sterilizers and washer-disinfectors for medical and dental practices. Directly comparable to Charis's autoclave and dry-heat sterilization offerings for healthcare facilities.

Broad incumbents

• Getinge: Swedish-listed medtech group with a substantial sterilization and infection-control segment including autoclaves, low-temperature sterilization, and disinfection systems. Compares with Charis in medical sterilization but on a much larger, multi-product scale.
• Steris: Large global sterilization, infection-prevention, and surgical-solutions company with broad portfolio across healthcare and life sciences. Overlaps Charis's sterilization equipment but operates at far greater scale with services, consumables, and global service network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Charis