Ending the Era of Manual Ship Piping Work... Ulsan City Selected for 'Blacksmith Manufacturing Industry Digital Transformation' Contest

Expectations for Improving SME Productivity and Resolving Labor Shortages

Ulsan City has gained momentum in a project to digitally transform the manufacturing industry that produces steel outfitting components for ships through manual labor.

On the 24th, Ulsan City announced that its "Digital Transformation Support Project for Shipbuilding and Marine Steel Outfitting Manufacturing Industry" was finally selected in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s new infrastructure project competition for the shipbuilding and marine plant industry, securing 9.5 billion KRW in national funding.

Steel outfitting refers to the manufacturing industry that produces and supplies steel-made outfitting components such as piping and plates that constitute a ship.

Bird's-eye view of the demonstration center.

Following this selection, Ulsan City will invest a total project cost of 19 billion KRW (9.5 billion KRW national funding, 9.5 billion KRW city funding) from this year through 2027 in the Ulsan Techno General Industrial Complex to establish ▲ a digital transformation demonstration center for shipbuilding and marine steel outfitting manufacturing industry ▲ an AI-based digital twin platform ▲ an intelligent flexible process automation system ▲ professional workforce training and corporate support.

Additionally, the project will be promoted as a large, medium, and small enterprise cooperative business model for digital transformation of steel outfitting manufacturing processes, led by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology.

Ulsan City expects that if this project proceeds smoothly, the steel outfitting manufacturing industry, which has relied on manual labor, will experience a revolutionary turning point by introducing automated manufacturing process systems, improving productivity, and resolving labor shortages through better working environments that allow even unskilled workers to participate.

An official from Ulsan City said, “As environmental regulations are strengthening in the global shipbuilding and marine market due to climate change, demand for high value-added eco-friendly ships such as LNG-powered vessels is increasing,” adding, “We will actively support the digital transformation of steel outfitting manufacturing processes to strengthen the competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry and contribute to job creation.”

This competitive project was proposed by Ulsan City to the government last year to support the foundation of the shipbuilding and marine plant industry, targeting the steel outfitting manufacturing industry.

The purpose of the competition is to develop and commercialize automated system technologies using artificial intelligence, advanced robots, and other technologies for manufacturing processes that are currently performed manually, and to disseminate and expand these technologies to support and foster competitive small and medium-sized steel outfitting enterprises.