Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has launched PIPE ROBOFAB in South Korea, the world’s first robotic plant dedicated to the manufacturing of pipe spools for the shipbuilding industry.
A strategic facility for the naval industry
Located in Haman County, South Gyeongsang Province, the plant covers an area of 6,500 square meters and has the capacity to manufacture around 100,000 pipe sections per year, making it a key infrastructure to respond to the global increase in shipbuilding orders.
Integrated technology: robotics, AI, and automation
The main innovation of PIPE ROBOFAB lies in its fully automated production system, which covers everything from pipe design to logistics, including high-precision machining, alignment, and welding.
Thanks to the integration of AI with computer vision, the plant improves process efficiency while ensuring greater precision and reducing error margins. The smart system monitors in real time all production stages to maintain high quality standards.
Although automation is often associated with job reduction, SHI emphasized that this project also seeks to create new opportunities. Won-young Choi, head of the SHI labor association, stressed that communication between employees and management will be key to ensuring safe and stable work environments, as well as increasing employability in other areas of the plant.
A strategic step toward global competitiveness
Sung-an Choi, Vice President and CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries, stated that PIPE ROBOFAB represents a substantial improvement in the competitiveness of the naval industry by combining specialized welding expertise with our 3X technologies.
With this launch, Samsung not only marks a turning point in pipe manufacturing but also sends a clear signal about the technological direction of the naval future: efficiency, precision, and smart automation.
Source: Offshore Energy