"Replaced High-Risk Tasks with Robots"…Gained Ideas from In-House Open Innovation

GS Caltex, Nitrogen Atmosphere Catalyst Replacement Robot Upgrade
CEO Heo Se-hong "Must Strengthen Open Innovation and Digital Capabilities"

A GS Caltex employee is using a robot to perform a nitrogen atmosphere catalyst replacement task. This work is considered to have a high risk of suffocation accidents.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] GS Caltex announced on the 14th that it has replaced the nitrogen atmosphere catalyst replacement work with robots. Nitrogen atmosphere work, performed during maintenance of refining and chemical facilities, involves injecting nitrogen to prevent fire hazards, exposing workers to a high risk of suffocation accidents, making it a dangerous task.

This is the first time in Korea that this work has been replaced by robots. The company, together with a domestic robotics specialist firm, created a virtual workspace and conducted mock tests before deploying robots for the nitrogen atmosphere catalyst replacement work on actual site equipment. The company expects that switching to robots will significantly reduce the risk of suffocation accidents for workers. According to the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, there have been 65 casualties due to suffocation accidents in Korea over the past four years, with nearly half, 31 people, having died.

In addition to reducing accident risks, it is expected to cut costs by shortening preliminary risk assessments and work time. GS Caltex anticipates that this technology can be further applied to refining and chemical-related facilities.

Huh Se-hong, CEO of GS Caltex

This achievement came from the company's in-house program SBT (Self-designed Business Trip), introduced earlier for open innovation. This program allows employees to select items and form participating groups, which, after internal screening, are given opportunities for benchmarking, conferences, prototype production, pilot testing, and various learning and trial experiences.

Huh Se-hong, CEO of GS Caltex, said, "In a rapidly changing business environment, a 'business ecosystem' that seeks coexistence beyond industry boundaries is essential," adding, "It is necessary to propose new ideas, embrace untried methods to create synergy, and collaborate with external partners."

The company-wide push to strengthen digital capabilities aligns with this perspective. It is judged to be effective in enhancing production process safety and competitiveness. Since 2015, the Yeosu plant has been inspecting corrosion and cracks on equipment tops that are difficult for humans to access using drones, and is aiming for operational training simulators and real-time process optimization through digital twin technology that replicates the plant in a virtual space. The company is exploring ways to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) in areas such as optimizing production plans and processes and early warning of equipment abnormalities.

CEO Huh stated, "Digital capability enhancement is important for open innovation," and added, "We aim to accelerate the application of digital technologies to actual work through company-wide digital transformation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.