On June 22, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a joint meeting of the MINI Alliance at Hotel Hyundai in Mokpo to discuss strategies for advancing shipbuilding M.AX and ways to link the industrial complexes.
The shipbuilding industry is a representative supply chain sector that involves large shipyards, small and medium-sized shipbuilders, equipment manufacturers, and subcontractors. The Daebul, Myeongji Noksan, and Gunsan industrial complexes, which participated in the meeting, share key functions of the shipbuilding supply chain and serve as a model for creating synergy through cooperation among the five major regions.
The meeting aimed to broaden the scope of shipbuilding M.AX from merely improving productivity at specific factories or individual industrial complexes to encompassing supply chain innovations that include design, production, quality, and procurement of materials. Given the interconnected nature of the industry, the introduction of AI by a single company alone may have limited effects on overall competitiveness.
The Ministry organized the meeting to discuss specific collaboration strategies to leverage the strengths of key industrial complexes and spread the shipbuilding M.AX model across the entire supply chain. The three MINI Alliances agreed to collectively build a comprehensive AI utilization system that supports design, production, and quality decision-making by gathering data and connecting knowledge.
Specifically, the Daebul industrial complex proposed plans to establish common infrastructure for utilizing manufacturing data and AI models on-site. Myeongji Noksan presented plans for developing and disseminating a shipbuilding-specific AI search engine to support design, manufacturing, and management, while Gunsan outlined plans for developing AI models for design simulation and manufacturing quality control.
After the meeting, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-kwan visited the 'M.AX Caravan' event, where he observed collaborations between AI suppliers and manufacturing companies and listened to industry feedback and concerns. The M.AX Caravan is a hands-on program that directly connects manufacturing companies seeking AI transformation with suppliers capable of providing AI solutions. Fourteen AI suppliers introduced their solutions at the event, which was attended by over 50 manufacturing representatives, facilitating active matchmaking.
Local small and medium-sized manufacturers recognize the need for AI adoption but often lack information on which solutions to implement, the associated costs, and how to integrate them with existing processes. The on-site matching that connects demand and supply companies is expected to lower the barriers to AI transformation in regional industrial complexes.
Minister Kim emphasized, "The shipbuilding industry is a representative supply chain sector involving numerous companies and processes, from large to small shipyards and equipment manufacturers, and is a key industry supporting the local economy. The three key industrial complexes will work together to create and utilize data and models, establishing an AI shipbuilding supply chain to enhance the competitiveness of K-Shipbuilding."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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