SEOUL, South Korean shipbuilding, oil refining and machinery conglomerate HD Hyundai said Wednesday it has signed a deal with German engineering giant Siemens to turn its shipyards into smart ones.
The agreement, which was signed Tuesday in Seongnam, south of Seoul, calls for jointly developing a platform to innovate its shipbuilding process from design to manufacturing, HD Hyundai said.
The digitalized automated production system is expected to help cut costs, reduce inefficiency and sharply boost productivity, the group said.
HD Hyundai controls HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering Co., its shipbuilding holding company and the world's largest shipbuilder, which has three units under its wing -- HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co.
HD Hyundai said it will first introduce robots for steel plate molding and welding at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard's shipyard in the southeastern industrial of Ulsan by 2025 and establish a cyber-physical system related to design.
The group will then combine its digitalized automated production system with a next-generation design platform being developed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, HD Hyundai said.
The deal has helped HD Korea Shipbuilding move a step closer to the realization of a smart shipyard, HD Hyundai said, adding it is planning to achieve the goal by 2030.
This photo provided by HD Hyundai on Oct. 18, 2023, shows senior officials of HD Hyundai and Siemens posing after signing a deal on smart shipyards at HD Hyundai's global research and development center in Seongnam, south of Seoul, the previous day.
Source: Yonhap News Agency