SHI sets out to develop digital building system

Samsung Heavy Industries launched a new research and development project to bring shipyards into the digital age.

SHI revealed on February 5 that it started a co-research team in the Koje shipyard with Seoul National University (SNU) leading in order to develop a simulator capable of illustrating the entire shipbuilding process in a virtual space. The research team included various academic and industrial experts, with eight universities including SNU, the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute, the MTI Corporation and IT Camp. SHI will invest 6 billion won by the end of 2004, launching the new digital R&D system.

SHI explained that it could improve efficiencies by coordinating the whole ship building process in advance with this system.

Especially, if the system is connected with the 3D CAD systems that SHI developed over the course of four years in conjunction with the Japanese Hitachi Shipyard and Danish Odense Shipyard, the productivity improvements will prove to be revolutionary in the ship building process.

An official at SHI said, “We will save 30 billion won every year with the introduction of the digital system. With the help of this new computer technology, we will become the undisputed leader in the global shipbuilding industry. ”