HD Hyundai and Siemens Launch Joint Digital Center for Shipbuilding
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HD Hyundai and Siemens opened a joint technology center called the Global Marine Center in Busan, South Korea, designed to test the South Korean group's upcoming digital shipbuilding platform at two of its main shipyards.
Opening Details
The center was inaugurated on Tuesday in the Haeundae-gu district of Busan and will bring together 50 specialists from both companies in ship design, electrical systems, piping, artificial intelligence and product lifecycle management. The ceremony was attended by Kim Hyung-kwan, CEO of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, and Robert Jones, Chief Revenue Officer of Siemens.
A Platform for Virtual Shipyards
The initiative seeks to develop a marine platform that integrates design, construction and maintenance data for vessels into 3D digital models, as well as enabling virtual shipyards where production processes and equipment operation can be simulated and tested before actual implementation, in order to reduce costs and operational risks. HD Hyundai's Global R&D Center in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, will lead the technological development, while the Ulsan shipyard, operated by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and the Yeongam shipyard, operated by HD Hyundai Samho in Jeonnam-Gwangju, will be responsible for testing the platform's performance.
Statements and Background
Kim Hyung-kwan stated that the marine platform will improve shipyard productivity and competitiveness by enabling digital validation of design and production processes, and noted that the goal is to accelerate the development of smart shipyards by combining HD Hyundai's expertise with Siemens' digital capabilities. Robert Jones, for his part, highlighted the complexity of shipbuilding and its potential to benefit from digital technologies, and pledged to a long-term cooperation with HD Hyundai. The center builds on a definitive agreement signed in July to jointly develop a digital platform connecting design, production, supply chain, quality control and maintenance, described by Trade News as a nine-figure deal.
The opening of the Global Marine Center is part of HD Hyundai's broader Future of Shipyard project, which aims to establish smart, autonomous shipyards by 2030, with the goal of cutting shipbuilding time by 30 percent and increasing productivity by the same proportion.
