Korea opens Ulsan digital twin center for ship outfitting

The industry ministry said Wednesday it opened a digital twin center for ship outfitting manufacturing processes in Ulsan, the first major project in its push to make advanced shipbuilding a growth engine for the southeastern region.

The center, at the Techno Industrial Complex in Nam-gu, Ulsan, will apply artificial intelligence to the production of iron outfitting — the pipes, handrails and cable trays installed throughout a vessel. It reproduces outfitting drawings as 3D digital twins and links them to automated welding and cutting equipment.

The project runs from 2023 through 2027 with a budget of 19 billion won ($14 million), split evenly between national and local funds. The Korea Institute of Industrial Technology leads the project, with the Ulsan Information Industry Promotion Agency as a participant.

"Outfitting is the process that equips a ship with its hull, engines and electrical systems and connects them into one living, moving vessel," said Park Dong-il, head of the ministry's industrial policy office, at the opening ceremony. He added that he hopes the center will "lead the full-scale AI transformation of the shipbuilding equipment industry and become an inflection point for K-shipbuilding to move one step further."

The center also plans to support regional equipment companies with process automation, prototype production and on-site workforce training. Iron outfitting affects both shipyard production schedules and quality, but the sector has struggled with automation because it produces many low-volume product types and is dominated by small companies facing labor shortages.

The opening follows the government's announcement in August of its regional growth engine plan, which selected advanced shipbuilding and shipping as the representative growth engine for the southeastern region covering Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.

Separately, a land-based demonstration center for hybrid propulsion systems on eco-friendly ships opened Wednesday afternoon in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, part of efforts to expand the eco-friendly equipment base supporting the region's shipbuilding growth engine.

Hybrid propulsion systems connect a shaft generator motor to the propulsion shaft, using engine power to generate electricity onboard and, conversely, using that electricity to turn the shaft. The industry has relied on foreign suppliers for key components such as power converters, reducers and control systems, but the new center enables system-level performance verification that simulates actual operating conditions, which is expected to help domestic equipment makers enter the market.

Shin Min-sik, Ulsan's deputy mayor for economic affairs, said the digital transformation of the outfitting industry is "not a choice but a necessity."

"If the digital twin platform and flexible process automation spread to the field, productivity will be maximized and the risk of safety accidents greatly reduced, creating a healthy, clean workplace that young people want to join," he said.