Ministry of SMEs and Startups Partners with Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam to Lay Foundation for Future Growth of Shipbuilding SMEs

“Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Future Marine Mobility Win-Win Innovation Forum” Held

On May 13, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that it held the “Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (BUK) Future Marine Mobility Win-Win Innovation Forum” at Hanwha Ocean in Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do.

This forum was organized in line with the ministry’s direction for restructuring regional flagship industries, with the aim of responding to stricter eco-friendly regulations and digital transformation in the shipbuilding sector and supporting the strengthening of competitiveness among local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The event was attended by Noh Yongseok, the First Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, along with representatives and experts from Hanwha Ocean, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, SMEs in the shipbuilding and marine sectors, directors from the local governments of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, as well as officials from Technoparks.

After touring the ship construction site at Hanwha Ocean, participants discussed cooperation measures to secure future competitiveness in the shipbuilding industry. In the first presentation, Professor Yoon Hyungyu of Changwon National University delivered a talk on “Fostering the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) Industry through Large-SME Linkage and Collaboration for Building a Full-Cycle Industrial Ecosystem in Shipbuilding.”

Hanwha Ocean then introduced key cases of win-win cooperation, such as production innovation among partner companies, responses to environmental, social, and transparent (ESG) management, and technological collaboration. In particular, Hanwha Ocean shared directions for expanding cooperation models that go beyond simple subcontracting to include joint technology development, on-site demonstration, and production innovation.

Gyeongnam Technopark presented strategies for building a win-win cooperation support system between large companies and SMEs in the southeastern region to maintain the nation’s position as the world’s leading shipbuilding and marine powerhouse. Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam proposed a direction for establishing a collaborative platform that connects the regions’ respective strengths, from identifying technology needs to technology development and commercialization.

During the discussion, participants explored cooperative measures to strengthen the competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry, including responses to the transition toward eco-friendly and smart shipbuilding, supply chain stabilization, localization of key equipment, and retention of skilled labor. Opinions were also exchanged on linking regional cooperative projects to support programs such as smart factories, joint research and development, commercialization, and global market expansion.

Noh Yongseok, the First Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, “The future competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry depends on a collaborative ecosystem created by both large corporations and SMEs.” He added, “The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will actively support the strengthening of regional shipbuilding industry competitiveness by linking support programs—such as smart factories, R&D, commercialization, and global expansion—with local cooperative projects.”

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