HD Hyundai announced on Oct. 18 that its shipbuilding subsidiaries – including HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries – have signed a business agreement for joint development of an integrated design-production innovation platform with Germany-based Siemens at the HD Hyundai Global R&D Center (GRC) in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province. The agreement ceremony was attended by Jung Gi-seon, president of HD Hyundai; Kim Hyung-kwan, president of Hyundai Mipo Dockyard; and Tobias Lange, vice president of Siemens.
Through this agreement, HD Hyundai plans to establish a digital automated production system that manages all data from ship design to production on a single platform. The aim is to reduce inefficiencies resulting from data disruptions between processes and achieve production innovation. By the end of 2025, HD Hyundai plans to introduce plate-forming robots, panel welding robots, and other automation equipment in Hyundai Mipo Dockyard’s processes, completing the establishment of a virtual-physical Cyber Physical System linked with design, thus achieving digital automation of the in-house processes.
Subsequently, the production automation system will be integrated with the next-generation design platform currently being developed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries. The aim is to manage data from design to production on one platform, and thereby complete a digital twin-based integrated innovation platform applicable across the shipbuilding affiliates. Once the platform is established, data collected from the production site will be analyzed to identify issues, which can then be addressed through design modifications, creating a virtuous cycle of shipbuilding. This is expected to enhance the quality and efficiency of ship production.