Companies sign comprehensive technology cooperation MOU
Aim to eliminate safety accidents, boost quality competitiveness
Hyundai Rotem will adopt Hyundai Motor's smart factory technology to improve safety at its aerospace production facilities.
Hyundai Rotem announced Tuesday that it recently signed a comprehensive technology cooperation MOU with Hyundai Motor Company aimed at enhancing workplace safety through production automation.
The two companies will work together to introduce automated systems at the aerospace production site. Hyundai Rotem has been advancing its technical capabilities by carrying out research and development projects with the Agency for Defense Development and the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, including work on ducted ramjet engines, hypersonic engines and methane engine technology for reusable launch vehicles.
Hyundai Rotem plans to apply Hyundai Motor's AI-based smart factory technology to its aerospace production processes. The company intends to deploy Hyundai Motor's globally proven automated production technology in high-risk processes to create a safer working environment and strengthen quality competitiveness.
Because safety accidents could disrupt the development and production schedules of advanced aerospace products, Hyundai Rotem expects the MOU to significantly strengthen its workplace safety management capabilities.
Hyundai Rotem has been expanding infrastructure investment and building up its capabilities in the aerospace sector. In March, the company signed an investment MOU with North Jeolla Province and Muju-gun to establish an aerospace production base. It plans to invest about 300 billion won ($217 million) by 2034 to build a comprehensive aerospace production complex serving as a hub for manufacturing and research and development.
Last year, Hyundai Rotem demonstrated its technical credentials by winning a contract from the Agency for Defense Development for a core technology project covering the airframe structure and propulsion system of a long-range air-to-air missile. The company is accelerating research and development by handling detailed design work equivalent to that of the actual product and has already secured manufacturing capability down to the component level.
Hyundai Rotem has been developing aerospace engine technology for nearly 30 years, having participated in South Korea's first liquid-propellant rocket development in the 1990s. The company began work on ramjet engine technology in the early 2000s and has since expanded into hypersonic engines, deepening its commitment to the aerospace sector.
"The technology cooperation between the two companies will serve as an opportunity to eliminate the risk of safety accidents at aerospace production sites," a Hyundai Rotem official said. "We will use advanced unmanned technology to create a zero-accident working environment and ensure the seamless supply of engines and propulsion systems of flawless quality."
Meanwhile, Hyundai Rotem has also been actively recruiting new and experienced talent in the aerospace field as part of its broader effort to strengthen competitiveness in the sector.
likehyo85@heraldcorp.com
