South KoreaManufacturing2025 – ongoingHD Hyundai Heavy Industries
AI and robotics for lifting-lug manufacture and recycling
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries reported 87.5% higher lifting-lug output after introducing AI and robotics
Problem
Lifting lugs connected ship blocks to crane equipment. Their manual manufacture involved welding and cutting, with quality varying by worker skill.
Approach
The company introduced its AI-and-robotics lug system in May 2025 after a 6-month demonstration. Its own system used HD Hyundai Robotics equipment for welding and recycling cuts, with autonomous mobile robots handling transfers. It reported higher output and more consistent quality.
Results
Takeaway
The system addressed a repeatable shipyard component before expansion to less standardized work.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Business function
- Production and quality
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Robotics and automation
- Adoption
- Built in-house
- Evidence
- Company's own claim
Sources
Source summaries
Bridge Economy described the deployed lug system and the company's account of its development. The company reported an 87.5% production increase following the May 2025 introduction.
Full details are in the original sources.