SK Energy Expands Overseas Territory with 'Smart Plant Solution'

Integration of Digital Innovation Technologies like IoT and AR
Collaboration with PTC Korea for Commercialization of Next-Generation Equipment Management System

SK Energy is expanding overseas with its 'Smart Plant Solution' business, which integrates digital technology into smart plants.

On the 21st, SK Energy signed a strategic business agreement with PTC Korea at SK Happy Town in Jung-gu, Ulsan, to build and operate smart plants. PTC is a global software company that provides platforms and solutions for digital innovation such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Augmented Reality (AR).

On the 21st, SK Energy signed a strategic business agreement with PTC Korea for the establishment and operation of a smart plant at SK Happy Town in Jung-gu, Ulsan. Seokwanhee, Head of Technology and Facilities at SK Energy (third from the left), and Kim Sanggeon, Branch Manager of PTC Korea (fourth from the left), along with other company officials, are posing for a commemorative photo. (Photo by SK Energy)

The two companies agreed to enhance the system level by combining PTC Korea's software technology with SK Energy's next-generation equipment management system, 'Ocean-H (Optimized & Connected Enterprise Asset Network Hub),' which was developed in-house. Ocean-H is a system that systematically accumulates data from energy and chemical industry facilities and enables easy utilization on-site according to the situation.

They will also cooperate to commercialize the smart plant solution business by targeting overseas markets using PTC's global networking as well as domestic energy and chemical industry sites.

The two companies have been collaborating since 2022 to build and apply the smart plant, which SK Energy first introduced in the energy and chemical industry in 2016.

They have already built and applied an AR-based smart scaffolding system on-site. The smart scaffolding system applies augmented reality to scaffolding, which must be installed for worker safety at plant construction sites. Using floor recognition technology, it measures the height and area of the scaffolding and virtually stacks the scaffolding, enabling more accurate estimation of work quantities. This has greatly improved work efficiency by significantly reducing errors caused by manual work.

Additionally, a piping design and quality inspection system using AR technology is also under development. Until now, on-site workers have manually drawn complex piping diagrams one by one, but by implementing this with AR, it is expected to eliminate many risk factors and improve inefficient work environments.

Seokwan Hee, Head of Technology and Facilities Division at SK Energy, said, "We expect to create broad cooperation opportunities and develop new business models," adding, "By securing expertise in building and operating smart plants, we plan to establish a unique position in the market."

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