GS Group (078930.KS) Chairman Huh Tae-soo said on the 22nd that the company needs to shift its perspective toward designing work and processes on a digital foundation from the outset, rather than simply adding digital tools to existing tasks.
The chairman made the remarks at the 4th Deep Transformation (DT) Day held at GS Tower in Seoul's Gangnam district, stressing to employees the need for digital-driven innovation in their work.
DT Day is a forum where GS Caltex employees share the innovation results and experiences they pursued over the past year. This year's theme, "We:bermensch," reflects the idea that employees set higher standards for themselves to grow, and that their individual challenges and innovations combine to drive change across the company.
The event featured 15 exhibition booths showcasing a range of in-house innovation cases and ideas. One example was an AI-based job training tutor built on the Socratic method, a form of critical dialogue that leads learners to recognize contradictions in their own thinking through questioning. The tutor was developed based on digital and AI transformation (DAX) trends and references that GS Caltex Vice Chairman Huh Sea-hong has consistently shared within the company since taking office.
Physical AI applications using drones, robots and smart helmets were also on display. GS Caltex uses ultra-compact drones to inspect contact point corrosion (CPC), which forms where water and contaminants collect at points where piping meets support structures. After inspecting 8,000 points this year, the company installed scaffolding — temporary platform structures — only where needed. GS Caltex expects this to cut costs by about 5 billion won ($3.4 million) at the No. 1 plant of its Yeosu complex alone.
GS Caltex also presented strategic initiatives at the event, including energy savings at the Yeosu plant, data-driven optimization of catalyst procurement, the construction of a next-generation enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and a co-processing process for biofuel production. Outside experts gave lectures on new AI and robotics technologies used across industries, as well as key factors reshaping the global business environment and their implications.
Vice Chairman Huh toured each booth to encourage employees who had led innovation projects. "The challenges taken on by our people add up to the innovation and the future of the entire company," he said. "When the changes each of us creates by pushing past existing limits connect and spread, that leads to growth."
GS is pursuing an initiative this year called "AI Business Impact," which combines on-site operational knowledge with AI to explore business innovation and greater work efficiency.