Insider Brief
- HD Hyundai Robotics said it has secured an order from Chouest Group for robotic welding systems that will be deployed across shipyards in the United States and Brazil, marking the company’s first robotic automation project in the U.S. shipbuilding industry.
- The deal includes deployment of HD Hyundai Robotics’ ArcLift GO welding system at three North American shipyards, including facilities in Louisiana, as shipbuilders face ongoing shortages of skilled welders and growing pressure to automate production processes.
- HD Hyundai Robotics said the systems are designed to simplify robotic welding operations through plug-and-play software and flexible automation tools, while the company positions the project as a foothold for broader expansion into North American shipyard automation and smart manufacturing initiatives.
PRESS RELEASE — As a proven case of implementing the advancement and productivity innovation of the shipbuilding industry envisioned by the MASGA initiative, HD Hyundai Robotics, the robot manufacturing and solutions subsidiary of HD Hyundai, has made a full-scale entry into the U.S. shipyard automation market and established a strategic foothold for expanding its global shipbuilding automation business. This breakthrough was driven through HD Hyundai Robotics USA, Inc., the company’s U.S. subsidiary based in Duluth, Georgia, which led on-the-ground business development and project coordination with Chouest Group.
HD Hyundai Robotics announced on the 7th that it has secured an order for its robotic welding solution, ArcLift GO, from Chouest Group Shipyards. Under this contract, robotic welding systems will be supplied to three Chouest Group shipyards in North America, including Louisiana, and one shipyard in Brazil.
This achievement is significant as HD Hyundai Robotics’ technology has been recognized as a practical and field-proven solution to the structural shortage of skilled welders facing U.S. shipyards. Recently, the shortage of skilled welders in the U.S. shipbuilding industry has evolved beyond a temporary labor issue into a structural challenge that constrains overall productivity and competitiveness. In response, HD Hyundai Robotics has presented a realistic solution whereby robots can effectively replace and complement skilled labor through a phased approach encompassing technology validation, process optimization, and large-scale deployment.
In addition, automation technologies are gaining strategic importance in the United States, with initiatives such as the proposed “Robot Security Act,” aimed at strengthening supply chain resilience and technological sovereignty in shipbuilding and manufacturing. Anticipating this policy direction, HD Hyundai Robotics has continuously expanded cooperation with U.S. shipyards, and this order represents the outcome of such efforts.
ArcLift GO is a robotic welding solution that delivers uniform and stable weld quality, significantly reducing dependence on skilled welders. Based on HD Hyundai’s extensive process know-how accumulated through years of shipbuilding experience, the solution adopts a Plug-in & Play concept supported by intuitive operating software, enabling flexible responses to diverse geometries and working environments. As a result, even operators with limited robotic experience can simultaneously operate two to three robots, allowing stable production systems to be established even under uncertain labor supply conditions.
This order marks HD Hyundai Robotics’ first robotic solution project for the U.S. shipbuilding industry and is considered a starting point for expanding its business across the broader North American shipbuilding market. Furthermore, by applying robotic solutions to actual production processes at U.S. shipyards, the company has secured a valuable reference demonstrating its technological capabilities within the U.S. shipbuilding supply chain.
Building on this order, HD Hyundai Robotics plans to further strengthen collaboration with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding holding company, and expand additional cooperation opportunities as a globally validated robotic solutions provider in discussions related to the MASGA project. Leveraging the references secured through on-site applications at U.S. shipyards, the company aims to continue its expansion of the global shipbuilding automation business as a long-term partner in the structural transformation of the U.S. shipbuilding industry.
Meanwhile, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering is also reviewing various cooperation opportunities in the United States, including joint construction of commercial vessels, in addition to robotic solutions collaboration. In the mid- to long-term, the company plans to advance cooperation models that integrate shipbuilding technologies with automation and robotics, thereby gradually expanding the scope of Korea–U.S. shipbuilding industry cooperation.
Image credit: HD Hyundai Robotics
