HD Hyundai (267250.KS) has partnered with Siemens to build a hub for digital innovation in shipbuilding in the port city of Busan.
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai's shipbuilding business, opened the Global Marine Center in Busan's Haeundae district on the 13th. Executives from both companies attended the opening ceremony, including HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Chief Executive Kim Hyung-kwan and Robert Jones, chief revenue officer of Siemens Digital Industries Software.
The center combines HD Hyundai's shipbuilding and offshore engineering expertise with Siemens' digital engineering technology. Fifty specialists from the two companies work in the same space, covering ship production and design in areas such as hulls, electrical systems, piping and cabins, as well as artificial intelligence platforms and product lifecycle management.
The two companies plan to upgrade a next-generation marine platform that integrates data from the entire process — from ship design to production and maintenance — into 3D models. They also aim to build a digital shipyard that can verify production processes and equipment operations in advance in a virtual environment, applying it across production operations to shift toward an intelligent shipyard.
Other HD Hyundai group affiliates will take part. The HD Hyundai Global R&D Center in Pangyo will support the technology strategy and core technologies to be applied to the next-generation marine platform, while HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Ulsan shipyard and HD Hyundai Samho's Yeongam shipyard will test the platform's functions and efficiency to minimize risks that could arise during on-site application.
"The next-generation marine platform will play a key role in raising shipyards' productivity and competitiveness by verifying the entire ship design and production process in advance in a digital environment," Kim said. "With the Global Marine Center at the core, we plan to accelerate the realization of a next-generation intelligent shipyard by combining HD Hyundai's accumulated shipbuilding expertise with Siemens' digital capabilities."
HD Hyundai signed a final contract with Siemens in July this year to build the next-generation marine platform and is developing an integrated platform that links the entire process — from ship design to production, supply chain management, quality control and maintenance — through AI and digital technology. Through its Future of Shipyard project to build an intelligent, autonomously operated shipyard by 2030, HD Hyundai aims to cut shipbuilding time by 30% and raise productivity by 30%.