Workers at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. point at the company’s AI hot working robot, in this photo provided by the shipbuilder on Oct. 20, 2020.
SEOUL, March 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s major shipbuilders are introducing robots to overcome a lack of manpower.
Samsung Heavy Industries Co. recently introduced robots at its shipyard in Geoje Island to cut steel materials and weld them into blocks.
During the sub-block assembly, a human employee works with the so-called ‘collaboration robots’, instead of being fully replaced by automation.
These collaboration robots can detect collisions, allowing employees to work with them without setting up a safety fence.
The robots have reportedly raised overall productivity by 40 percent.
Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co’s shipyard in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province also plans to deploy a 13-kilogram robot for welding.
Thanks to its miniature size, the robot can reach into narrow spaces inside the ship to carry out surgical welding tasks.
The robot is also capable of weaving, a highly-difficult welding skill that requires the torch to move in a zigzag direction, which means that even an unskilled worker can utilize the robot to carry out difficult tasks.
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. is using robots to automatically install electric wires inside ships or marine plants which, in the past, was done manually by a number of workers carrying bundles of wires that are as thick as a person’s forearm.
The company said it now saves more than 2 billion won (US$1.64 million) each year, and the use of robots prevents workers from suffering from certain diseases.
Shipbuilders have become more enthusiastic about using robots following the introduction of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which came into force in January of this year.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor reported that a total of 88 people died in shipyards accident between 2016 and October of last year.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
