A Legend in Large Engine Production After 44 Years... 36% Global Market Share
Han Young-seok "This Year, 300 Koreans and 2,800 Foreigners Will Be Recruited"
On the morning of the 22nd at Ulsan Hyundai Heavy Industries Engine Assembly Plant, hundreds of company executives and employees covered their ears as the host announced, "We will now start the engine." About five seconds later, a large engine measuring 16.2 meters in height (equivalent to a 5-story apartment), 11.5 meters in width, and weighing 1,667 tons began roaring to life. It was the moment Hyundai Heavy Industries surpassed 200 million horsepower in large engine production for the first time in the world. This record was set 44 years after producing its first large engine in June 1979.
On the 22nd, Hyundai Heavy Industries started a 74,720-horsepower large marine engine to commemorate achieving 200 million horsepower in large engines. [Photo by Hyundai Heavy Industries]
Gasamhyun, Vice Chairman of Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, said, "This engine is a 'methanol dual-fuel' engine capable of alternating between methanol and diesel, and it is scheduled to be installed on the 3,322nd 10,200 TEU container ship."
He added, "The production of ultra-large methanol engines goes beyond the simple figure of 200 million horsepower in large engine production; it heralds the dawn of an eco-friendly engine and, furthermore, an eco-friendly shipbuilding and offshore era."
The '200 Million Horsepower Large Engine Production Achievement Ceremony' held that day was attended by about 300 people, including Vice Chairman Gasamhyun, Hyundai Heavy Industries Vice Chairman Han Young-seok, President Lee Sang-gyun, Jung Byung-cheon, head of the Hyundai Heavy Industries branch of the Metal Workers' Union, representatives from shipowners such as Maersk, and officials from the shipbuilding and shipping industries.
Han Young-seok, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Heavy Industries, said, "With recent large orders coming in one after another, we have secured work for several years," adding, "We plan to hire up to 3,100 people this year, including 300 Koreans and 2,800 foreigners."
Executives of Hyundai Heavy Industries attending the ceremony celebrating the achievement of 200 million horsepower in large engine production on the 22nd start a 74,720-horsepower large marine engine. Photo by Hyundai Heavy Industries
Hyundai Heavy Industries decided that to strengthen competitiveness in the shipbuilding business, it must manufacture the ship's heart?the engine?on its own, and thus started the engine business in 1976. In 1978, it completed a large engine plant with an annual production capacity of 900,000 horsepower, the largest single plant in the world at the time.
Hyundai Heavy Industries recorded a 36% share of the global large engine market last year and has held the number one position for 34 years since 1989. Approximately four out of every ten newly ordered ships are equipped with engines made by Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Hyundai Heavy Industries also holds the number one global market share (about 30%) in the medium-sized engine (4-stroke) sector used for large ship generators. In August 2000, after ten years of research, it independently developed the 'Himsen Engine,' breaking through the high entry barriers of the conservative engine market.
Since 2011, Hyundai Heavy Industries has produced 100% of its medium-sized engines with the Himsen Engine instead of licensed products from overseas companies. It achieved a cumulative production of 10,000 units in 2016.
More than 60% of the large engines Hyundai Heavy Industries has received orders for use eco-friendly fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), methanol, and ethanol. In December last year, it succeeded in demonstrating an LNG-hydrogen dual-fuel engine. Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to accelerate its efforts to dominate the eco-friendly engine market in preparation for the carbon-neutral era.
Yoo Jung-dae, Executive Director of Hyundai Heavy Industries Engine Machinery Business Division, said, "We are developing an ammonia propulsion engine," adding, "'Himsen Engine' development is targeted for completion early next year, and the large engine development is aimed to be completed by the end of next year."
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