# HD Hyundai and Siemens launch Busan digital shipyard center *The Global Marine Center deploys 50 engineers to test virtual shipyard tools, aiming to cut vessel construction time by 30% by 2030 across Korean yards.* **Published:** October 13, 2026 **By:** Hyun-jung Lee **Section:** Shipbuilding & Defense — South Korea **Format:** Breaking **Confidence:** medium **Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/shipbuilding/hd-hyundai-siemens-launch-busan-digital-shipyard-center-691 **Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/) --- ## What to know - HD Korea Shipbuilding and Siemens open a joint 50-engineer marine center in Busan - The project targets a 30% reduction in vessel construction time and a 30% productivity gain - Full deployment of the autonomous shipyard platform is scheduled for 2030 ![Engineers examine a digital three-dimensional vessel model on an interactive table inside the joint engineering center in Busan. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-10-13-f151e05803e6.webp) *Engineers examine a digital three-dimensional vessel model on an interactive table inside the joint engineering center in Busan. (AI-generated image)* HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering opened a joint engineering center with Siemens in Busan on Oct. 13, 2026, to accelerate digital design and automated production across its shipyards. The Global Marine Center in Haeundae District houses 50 specialists from both companies. The team aims to cut vessel construction time by 30% and raise yard productivity by 30%. The facility operates as the operational hub for HD Hyundai's commercial shipbuilders. The parent group accounts for roughly one-third of South Korea's total commercial shipbuilding delivery volume. HD Korea Shipbuilding Chief Executive Kim Hyung-kwan and Siemens Digital Industries Software Chief Revenue Officer Robert Jones led the ceremony. Executive teams from both industrial groups attended the opening in Busan. Engineers stationed at the center specialize in hull structures, marine electrical systems, piping networks and cabin architecture. Software teams will link those disciplines using artificial intelligence platforms and product lifecycle management tools. Product lifecycle management — software that tracks an industrial asset from design through manufacturing and maintenance — serves as the core backbone. The system gathers design revisions into a single digital ledger. The engineers will develop a next-generation marine platform that pools data across every production stage into unified three-dimensional models. The database covers initial structural drafting, supply procurement and post-delivery maintenance. A digital twin shipyard will run parallel tests inside virtual software environments before physical steel cutting begins. Simulating machine workflows helps engineers eliminate structural interferences before dry-dock assembly starts. Building complex commercial vessels requires assembling millions of steel parts, pipes and cables. Uncorrected blueprint errors frequently create bottlenecks that idle dock space and raise fabrication labor expenses. The Busan center will simulate welding equipment paths and automated gantry operations. Verifying these automated paths digitally prevents assembly robots from colliding with ship bulkheads during automated welding runs. The opening follows a definitive cooperation contract that HD Hyundai signed with Siemens in July 2026. That initial agreement was formalized during the launch of the Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Cooperation Center in Washington. The group is dividing research and testing tasks among its major subsidiaries. The setup connects centralized software development directly to dry-dock production berths. HD Hyundai's Global R&D Center in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, provides core technology strategies and fundamental software modules. The corporate research center oversees broader automation goals for the industrial conglomerate. On-site production testing will take place at two primary fabrication facilities. Engineers will deploy platform updates to active dockside operations to verify productivity metrics. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will test the software at its primary Ulsan yard. The yard operates nine dry docks and builds high-value liquefied natural gas carriers and container vessels. HD Hyundai Samho will conduct parallel industrial trials at its Yeongam yard in South Jeolla Province. The facility specializes in commercial tankers and gas carriers. Pre-verifying design data in a virtual space protects yards against assembly errors, Kim said. Digital validation remains essential for raising shipyard productivity, the chief executive said. Shipbuilding carries high engineering complexity and offers significant room for software gains, Jones said. Siemens plans sustained engineering cooperation with HD Hyundai to expand virtual verification, the software executive said. The initiative supports HD Hyundai's broader Future of Shipyard program. The corporate roadmap directs the progressive conversion of conventional shipyards into automated facilities. HD Hyundai finished the first stage of the modernization program in 2023. That initial project stage focused on digitizing yard logs and making dockside workflow data visible across production teams. The company scheduled completion of the second development stage for late 2026. The current phase establishes predictive simulation platforms to smooth scheduling variance and material bottlenecks. HD Hyundai plans to deploy fully autonomous shipyard operations across its Korean facilities by 2030. That milestone sets the deadline for implementing automated scheduling and yard robotics. South Korean shipbuilders face sustained competition from Chinese yards that benefit from lower labor costs. Domestic shipbuilders are responding by automating design and scheduling tasks to compress delivery cycles. Digital engineering shortens fabrication cycles and shields dock operators from regional shipyard labor shortages. Shorter construction schedules allow builders to book additional high-margin slots for dual-fuel gas carriers. The announcement does not state the total capital expenditure allocated for the Busan facility. HD Korea Shipbuilding and Siemens have not published the duration of the building lease agreement. Field engineers at Ulsan and Yeongam will begin reporting live verification metrics from the marine platform in early 2027. The joint engineering team will evaluate initial defect reductions at that time. ## Impact map | Event | Korea | China | Japan | Global impact | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Shipbuilding digital twin platform | HD Hyundai tests virtual yard tools at Ulsan and Yeongam to target 30% shorter build times | Competing state yards face wider software gap on high-spec gas carrier delivery schedules | Imabari and Nihon Shipyard face higher automated efficiency hurdles in standard bulkers and tankers | Fleet owners see tighter delivery adherence and automated lifecycle maintenance logs | ## In this story - **Companies:** HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, HD Hyundai Samho, Siemens - **Tickers:** 009540.KS, 329180.KS, SIE.DE - **Policy:** Subsidies - **Impact:** Supply Chain, Cost Structure ## Primary sources 1. newstomato.com 2. newspim.com 3. edaily.co.kr 4. chosun.com 5. industrynews.co.kr --- Cite as: East Asia Brief, "HD Hyundai and Siemens launch Busan digital shipyard center," October 13, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/shipbuilding/hd-hyundai-siemens-launch-busan-digital-shipyard-center-691