HD Construction Equipment Signs MOU with HD Hyundai Robotics to Construct Smart Factories
- Strengthening global competitiveness through production process automation and AI-based smart manufacturing
As the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry and the push for smart factories accelerate, HD Construction Equipment and HD Hyundai Robotics have embarked on a strategic collaboration.
On Monday, April 12, HD Construction Equipment and HD Hyundai Robotics signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at HD Hyundai’s Global R&D Center to collaborate on automating construction equipment manufacturing processes and building smart factories.
The signing ceremony was attended by eight executives: HD Construction Equipment’s President Moon Jae-young, Vice Presidents Park Chan-hyuk (Quality & Production Division) and Kim Jong-chul (Management Support Division), and Managing Director Lee Sung-hyuk (Production Division); and HD Hyundai Robotics’ President Kim Wan-soo and Managing Directors Jung Young-geun (Robotics Business Division), Song Young-hoon (Solution Development Division), and Han Ki-tae (Engineering Division).
Through this agreement, HD Construction Equipment will present the scope and direction of automation applications in production sites and process operations. For its part, HD Hyundai Robotics plans to elevate the overall level of automation across the construction equipment production lines based on the technological capabilities accumulated through the development and deployment of automated welding solutions at HD Construction Equipment’s regional subsidiaries, including its Indian subsidiary, as well as the Ulsan campus.
Following the signing ceremony, the two companies will pursue phased collaboration in various areas including: ▲development of customized automation technologies for key production lines, ▲joint execution of process automation standardization and proof-of-concept (PoC), ▲on-site application of automation technologies across all production processes, ▲establishment of a maintenance system for the efficient operation of installed equipment, ▲joint research and review of new technologies using each company’s technical assets and infrastructure, and ▲process optimization and smart factory implementation based on robotics, vision systems, and AI.
In particular, the two companies aim to secure manufacturing process efficiency and quality stability by pilot application of production line automation technology and conducting on-site verification for standardization. Through this, they expect not only productivity improvements but also reductions in operating costs and enhanced global competitiveness.
“Smart factory is a core strategy for securing manufacturing competitiveness. We will advance the level of production process automation and realize differentiated manufacturing innovation based on digital technology by collaborating with HD Hyundai Robotics,” said HD Construction Equipment President Moon Jae-young.
Meanwhile, HD Hyundai Robotics President Kim Wan-soo sees this MOU as a significant opportunity to apply robots and AI technologies fully to manufacturing sites. “We will provide automation solutions optimized for HD Construction Equipment’s production lines to improve operational efficiency substantially and lead smart manufacturing innovation,” he emphasized.
△ (Left photo, from left): Kim Wan-soo (President, HD Hyundai Robotics) and Moon Jae-young (President, HD Construction Equipment)
(Right photo, from left): Han Ki-tae (Managing Director), Song Young-hoon (Managing Director), Jung Young-geun (Managing Director), and Kim Wan-soo (President) of HD Hyundai Robotics; and Moon Jae-young (President), Park Chan-hyuk (Vice President), Kim Jong-chul (Vice President), and Lee Sung-hyuk (Managing Director) of HD Construction Equipment