[Report] "Innovation Blossomed in the Automation Wasteland"... 'Smart Remicon' Yujin Corporation Cheonan Plant

Visiting Yujin Enterprise Cheonan Factory... Raw Material Mixing with High-Frequency Sensors
Defect Rate Drops 30%... Equipment Monitoring Possible via Mobile
Labor Efficiency Doubled... Mixer Truck 'Nundaejung' Loading Eliminated
GPS Enhances Delivery Accuracy... AI Application Technology Development Starting Next Year

Exterior view of Yujin Corporation Cheonan Plant. [Photo by Yujin Group]

[Cheonan, Chungnam = Asia Economy Reporter Lee Junhyung] Eugene Corporation’s ready-mixed concrete (RMC) plant in Cheonan, Chungnam. The Cheonan plant, which began shipping RMC in April, is the newest factory built by Eugene Corporation. As such, the latest production systems of Eugene Corporation have been applied throughout the plant. Here, we were able to confirm the current status of the ‘100% Automated RMC Plant’ that Eugene Corporation aims to realize by 2027.

The plant operated flawlessly. This was thanks to the automation system independently developed by Eugene Corporation, which was introduced throughout the entire RMC process. The RMC process is broadly divided into four stages: ‘Receiving → Ordering → Production → Shipping.’ Eugene Corporation applied optimized technology at each stage. Kwon Jongwoong, Deputy Manager of Eugene Corporation’s Production Management Team, who was in charge of building the Cheonan plant, said, “The RMC process is a kind of made-to-order system, so there are many difficulties in introducing smart factory technology,” adding, “It is hard to find a place, either domestically or overseas, that has automation facilities and integrated control systems at the level of the Cheonan plant.”

Introduction of High-Frequency Sensors... Doubling Labor Efficiency

A representative example is the improvement of raw material mixing accuracy through precision weighing sensors. RMC is made by mixing various raw materials such as cement, aggregates, water, and admixtures. Since the types of RMC required vary depending on the construction environment, even a slight difference in the mixing ratio requires the RMC to be separated back into raw materials. The Cheonan plant measures the height of raw materials piled in silos with a high-frequency radar sensor operating at 80 GHz, with a precision of 0.01 meters.

All more than 40 RMC product specifications have been standardized, and mixing codes have been created. When a customer order is received, the control room checks the code and remotely manages the raw material mixing. Advanced control equipment accurately measures the amount of raw materials, reducing the defect rate by about 30% compared to existing plants. The control room monitors equipment operation doubly through high-definition cameras installed on all facilities. Through a smartphone application (app), monitoring and equipment control at the same level as the control room are possible, removing location constraints.

An employee of Yujin Corporation is monitoring the ready-mix concrete production process at the control room of the Cheonan plant.
[Photo by Yujin Group]

Labor efficiency has doubled. In existing RMC plants, one operator is required per batch plant (RMC production facility). However, in the control room of the Cheonan plant, which has two batch plants, only one person is working instead of two. Deputy Manager Kwon said, “Through process automation, we improved product quality while significantly reducing the parts requiring human intervention,” adding, “We increased productivity per person by 100%.”

Eliminating Loud Disputes with Transport Drivers... Considering AI Application

The RMC loading process, which was a typical example of ‘eyeballing,’ has also been automated. The mixed RMC is loaded onto transport vehicles (mixer trucks) and delivered to construction sites. The problem was that the process of parking the transport vehicle under the batch plant, where the RMC pours out, was visually confirmed. Eugene Corporation installed distance-measuring sensors on both sides under the batch plant to ensure that transport vehicles park in the correct position. The control room can only finalize the shipment of RMC when a signal indicates that the mixer truck has reached the correct position. Thanks to this, Deputy Manager Kwon explained that loud disputes commonly occurring between transport drivers and the control room are not found at the Cheonan plant.

Delivery accuracy has also improved. The Cheonan plant applied a vehicle control system using GPS (Global Positioning System) and GIS (Geographic Information System). This is to transport RMC, which must arrive at the construction site within 90 minutes after production, more quickly and accurately. Eugene Corporation also developed a separate navigation system for mixer trucks to integrate with the system. The control room monitors the mixer truck’s speed, location, mixing code, and load in real time. Deputy Manager Kwon said, “Misloading and misdelivery can occur in the process of producing and transporting RMC,” adding, “(At the Cheonan plant) the entire progress from work instructions to transportation is automatically controlled and monitored, so such problems have been eliminated.”

Ready-mix concrete transport vehicle (mixer truck) stopped at the batching plant of Yujin Corporation Cheonan Factory.
[Photo by Yujin Group]

The company is also considering applying core technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as artificial intelligence (AI), to the RMC process. Deputy Manager Kwon said, “Starting next year, we plan to focus on technology development in AI, big data, cloud computing, and more,” adding, “We aim to tackle challenges that were difficult to solve with existing methods.”