Ulsan’s Shipbuilding Steel-Outfitting Industry, Long Reliant on Paper Drawings, Accelerates Digital Transformation

【Financial News, Ulsan—Reporter Choi Su-sang】 The Digital Twin Center for Shipbuilding Steel-Outfitting Manufacturing Processes held its opening ceremony in Ulsan on the 30th. Steel outfitting refers to various steel structures installed on ships and marine facilities apart from their main hulls. It includes all kinds of steel outfitting components, such as pipes, ladders, railings, hatch covers, and manholes.
Located in the Techno General Industrial Complex in Duwang-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, the center was built with an investment of KRW 5.5 billion. It has one above-ground floor and a gross floor area of 1,450 square meters. The facility is a key demonstration base for the Support Project for Digital Transformation of the Shipbuilding and Marine Steel-Outfitting Manufacturing Industry, jointly promoted by Ulsan Metropolitan City and the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The project aims to establish a digital foundation for manufacturing processes and an intelligent flexible-process automation system. It will support full-cycle process automation and digital transformation, from drafting to product manufacturing. The project will run for five years from 2023 to 2027, with a total budget of KRW 18.7 billion, including KRW 9.2 billion in national funding.
“Many steel-outfitting manufacturers in Ulsan are small businesses and still rely on paper drawings and outdated equipment to produce their products,” a city official said. “They also depend heavily on skilled workers and face difficulties recruiting staff because of poor working conditions.” The official explained that these challenges prompted the project.
Through this project, Ulsan Metropolitan City plans to support process automation, including automated welding and cutting, for local shipbuilding equipment companies. The city aims to lead the Physical AI transformation of the shipbuilding equipment manufacturing industry.
The city also plans to establish a regional hub by demonstrating technologies for application at the manufacturing sites of approximately 300 steel-outfitting and shipbuilding equipment companies in Ulsan, Busan, and Gyeongsangnam-do, while providing support to those companies.
[email protected] Choi Su-sang Reporter