HD Hyundai在Huntington Ingalls船厂启动智能焊接系统试点

HD Hyundai (267250.KS) is accelerating its US expansion by concretizing advanced shipbuilding technology cooperation with Huntington Ingalls, the largest defense shipbuilder in the United States.
HD Hyundai said on the 5th that it recently launched a pilot project to improve shipyard productivity at Ingalls Shipbuilding, a unit of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). Located in the south-central US state of Mississippi, Ingalls Shipbuilding is the largest surface warship builder in the United States.
The project is part of follow-up cooperation under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on shipbuilding productivity improvement and advanced shipbuilding technology, which the two companies signed on the occasion of the Sea Air Space exhibition (SAS 2025) held in Washington, DC, last year.
As the first step of the pilot project, HD Hyundai will introduce its self-developed smart welding system at Ingalls Shipbuilding. The system is a field-proven technology that has been operated at group shipyards including HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180.KS) and HD Hyundai Samho.
The smart welding system was developed to carry out welding work more safely and efficiently. It automatically recognizes the work target and conditions, correcting welding positions in real time. Workers only need to set the work zone to manage multiple robots simultaneously, intervening only when necessary. Information from the work process is also stored in real time and can be used for quality control, process improvement, and work history verification.
HD Hyundai and Huntington Ingalls plan to expand the scope of cooperation to the entire ship construction process going forward. The previously signed MOU included building a digital shipyard through process automation and the introduction of robots and artificial intelligence (AI), enhancing production efficiency by combining warship construction expertise and capabilities, and training production workers and participating in the equipment supply chain.
"Through this cooperation, we will expand the application of automation to deeper stages of the production process and incorporate the best practices of both companies into the process of building US Navy vessels," said Brian Blanchette, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding.
Joo Won-ho, president of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, said, "This cooperation will further strengthen the partnership between the two companies and serve as an opportunity to expand cooperation." He added, "We expect to improve warship construction efficiency and provide greater value to customers."
Meanwhile, HD Hyundai is expanding its shipbuilding cooperation with the United States in various directions, ranging from warship maintenance and repair to research and development and shipyard modernization. Last month, it signed a formal contract with Siemens for the introduction of a next-generation marine platform, and concluded an MOU on shipyard modernization cooperation with Fraser Industries.