SKT "Creating Smart Factories with Smart Compressors"

by Cho Seulkina

Published 13 Jul.2021 08:20(KST)

On the 12th, Moon Byung-seon, CEO of Soltech System (from the left in the photo), Choi Nak-hoon, Head of SK Telecom Smart Factory CO, and Kim In-gi, Technical Director of Seongjin Compressor, are posing for a commemorative photo at the 'Business Agreement Ceremony for Smart Compressor Business' held at the headquarters of Seongjin Compressor. Photo by Moon Byung-seon

[Asia Economy Reporter Seol Gina Jo] A cloud-based smart factory artificial intelligence (AI) subscription service that can smartly manage compressors widely used in manufacturing factories has been launched.

According to SK Telecom on the 13th, the company signed a business agreement the day before at the headquarters of Sungjin Compressor with Seongsin Compressor and Soltec System to commercialize smart compressors.

The three companies promoted this collaboration to improve difficulties arising in the operation and maintenance processes of factories that have introduced compressors through AI and cloud technologies. This is the first commercialization case since SK Telecom launched ‘Grandview,’ its cloud-based AI smart factory service.

SK Telecom will customize and provide the Grandview solution for compressors manufactured by Seongsin Compressor and plans to launch it in September. Soltec System will produce an Internet of Things (IoT) gateway for collecting equipment data from compressors.

A compressor is a machine that receives power from power generation devices such as electric motors or turbines and compresses air, refrigerants, or special gases to increase pressure by compressing the working gas. It is widely used throughout the manufacturing processes in factories. Seongsin Compressor produces and supplies 700 to 800 compressors annually in Korea.

In the future, through smart compressors applying AI technology in Grandview, functions such as ▲real-time monitoring of equipment information ▲alarms for abnormal values and signs of failure ▲remote control ▲AI-based predictive maintenance will become possible. It is expected to enable efficient operation in terms of operational personnel and maintenance.

The Grandview dedicated to compressors applied this time will be launched as a monthly subscription service model. Factories adopting Grandview as a subscription service can significantly reduce the burden of initial construction costs.

Gong Ji-hwan, CEO of Seongsin Compressor, said, “This collaboration with SK Telecom is significant in that it is the industry’s first to enable easier maintenance, repair, and management of compressors in industrial sites through LTE network data collection,” adding, “We will continue efforts to popularize smart compressors.”

Choi Nak-hoon, head of SK Telecom’s Smart Factory CO (Company), said, “This collaboration is meaningful as it is the first commercialization of a subscription service applying cloud and AI technologies to compressors widely used in manufacturing sites, making it easy for small and medium-sized enterprises to utilize,” and added, “We will continue to do our best to introduce new services in industrial sites through ICT technologies such as 5G, cloud, and AI.”