HD Hyundai has joined hands with Germany’s Siemens to establish a key base in Busan for the digital transformation of the shipbuilding industry. The company plans to build an integrated platform that connects the entire process from ship design to production and maintenance using digital technologies, and to verify it at actual shipyards to improve productivity and efficiency.

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding division, announced on the 13th that it held an opening ceremony for the “Global Marine Center” in Haeundae-gu, Busan, together with Siemens Digital Industries Software. The event was attended by executives from both companies, including HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering CEO Kim Hyeong-kwan and Siemens Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) Robert Jones.

Approximately 50 experts from both companies work at the Global Marine Center in the fields of ship design and production—such as hull, electrical systems, piping, and accommodations—as well as in artificial intelligence (AI), product lifecycle management (PLM), and digital engineering.

The two companies will use this center as a hub to develop and advance a “next-generation marine platform” that integrates data from the entire process, from ship design to production and maintenance, into three-dimensional (3D) models. They plan to realize a digital shipyard that pre-verifies production processes and facility operations in a virtual environment and apply this to actual production sites.

They will also pursue cooperation with research and development as well as production bases within the HD Hyundai Group. The HD Hyundai Global R&D Center in Pangyo, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province will support technology strategy and fundamental technology development, while the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan Shipyard and HD Hyundai Samho Yeongam Shipyard will demonstrate the platform’s functions and efficiency. Through this, the group intends to reduce potential risks that may arise in the process of applying the system to real-world sites.

Previously, in July, HD Hyundai signed a main contract with Siemens in Washington, United States, to build the next-generation marine platform. The companies are building an integrated system that connects not only ship design and production but also supply chain management, quality control, and maintenance with AI and digital technologies.

Based on this initiative, HD Hyundai aims to build an “intelligent autonomous shipyard (FOS·Future of Shipyard)” by 2030, shortening shipbuilding lead times by 30% and increasing productivity by 30%.
Kim Hyeong-kwan, CEO of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, said, “The next-generation marine platform will play a key role in enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of shipyards by pre-verifying the entire ship design and production process in a digital environment,” adding, “Centering on the Global Marine Center, we plan to accelerate the realization of next-generation intelligent shipyards by combining HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding technologies with Siemens’ digital capabilities.”

Robert Jones, Chief Revenue Officer at Siemens, said, “Shipbuilding is one of the most complex industries in terms of processes from design to production, and it is an area where digital technologies can deliver the greatest impact,” adding, “Through long-term cooperation between the two companies, we will lead the digital transformation of the shipbuilding industry.”

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