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HD Hyundai Launches Development of Korea’s First Integrated Design-to-Production Digital Platform for Smart Shipyards
HD Hyundai Launches Development of Korea’s First Integrated Design-to-Production Digital Platform for Smart Shipyards
HD Hyundai has become the first shipbuilder in Korea to embark on the full-scale development of a digital platform designed to integrate ship design and production processes, paving the way for the realization of next-generation smart shipyards.
On November 20, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), together with affiliates HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, held a briefing at HHI’s Ulsan headquarters to announce the project. The event was attended by leading platform solution providers including Siemens, Dassault Systèmes, AVEVA, NAPA, and Cadmatic, all of which are participating as technology partners.
HD Hyundai had previously signed development agreements with these solution providers and completed preliminary preparations for the launch of the platform project.
Currently, shipbuilding relies on multiple independent digital systems: CAD (Computer-Aided Design) for 3D ship modeling, PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) for managing the entire lifecycle of vessels, and DM (Digital Manufacturing) for planning, analyzing, and optimizing manufacturing processes. The new Integrated Design-to-Production Platform will unify these systems into a single digital ecosystem, enabling seamless data management from initial design through final production. By eliminating data silos and inefficiencies, HD Hyundai aims to achieve significant productivity gains and process innovation.
The company plans to collaborate with the solution providers through next year to develop initial platform prototypes. From these, the most optimized solution for the shipbuilding industry will be selected in 2026 for detailed development. Full-scale implementation is targeted for completion in 2028 after approximately two years of development.
Once operational, the platform will create a “virtuous cycle” of shipbuilding by analyzing production-site data to identify issues and feeding the insights back into design modifications, improving both ship quality and manufacturing efficiency.
The platform will also serve as a critical foundation for HD Hyundai’s Future of Shipyard (FOS) initiative, which aims to establish a fully digitalized and automated smart shipyard by 2030.
A representative of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries stated:
“As competition for leadership in the global shipbuilding industry intensifies, the development of this integrated platform will accelerate our vision of the smart shipyard of the future, securing sustainable competitiveness for Korean shipbuilding.”
