Pohang City-POSTECH-Carnegie Mellon University Announce Vision for 'Smart Manufacturing Leading City Pohang'

On the 15th, Pohang City held the 'Technology and the Future of Cities Forum' at the POSCO International Hall in collaboration with POSTECH and Carnegie Mellon University in the United States.

On the 15th, Pohang City held the 'Future of Technology and Cities Forum' at the POSCO International Hall in collaboration with POSTECH and Carnegie Mellon University.

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The forum was organized around two themes: 'The Future of Smart Manufacturing' and 'Industrial and Manufacturing Applications of Data and Robots.' It aimed to review the achievements of Pohang's manufacturing sector in contributing to South Korea's economic growth and to emphasize the challenges and changes necessary for manufacturing to lead sustainable economic growth and the carbon-neutral era.

About 150 participants attended the forum, including Mayor Lee Kang-deok, City Council Chairman Baek In-gyu, POSTECH President Kim Sung-geun, National Assembly member Kim Byung-wook, Professor Sandra DeVincent Wolf from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA, and IBM Chair Professor Suhaeng Cho, to collectively consider the future of Pohang and global manufacturing.

Notably, during the forum, Pohang City, together with POSTECH and Carnegie Mellon University, declared the vision of 'Pohang as a Leading Smart Manufacturing City,' expressing its determination to "ignite a new era of smart manufacturing beyond steel, lighting the second Pohang blast furnace with future new industries," drawing significant attention.

Pohang and Pittsburgh share many similarities as cities that once prospered as steel towns but faced crises and are now striving for rebirth as Fourth Industrial Revolution cities based on key industries such as life sciences, energy, and robotics.

Pittsburgh has built an industrial ecosystem linked with companies, hospitals, and research institutes by leveraging Carnegie Mellon University, the first research university in computer science and the top premium university in the U.S. with a total of 21 Nobel laureates to date. Pohang is creating a future new growth industry ecosystem centered around world-class universities such as POSTECH and Handong Global University.

To incorporate these similarities between the two cities into its administration, Pohang City visited the United States in January this year to expand global partnerships for friendly exchange and cooperation. The vision declaration at this forum is the first outcome of this partnership.

Professor Sandra DeVincent Wolf, Director of the Manufacturing Futures Research Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, gave the first keynote presentation at the forum on the topic "The Role of Pittsburgh’s Research Universities in Transforming from a Steel City to a Hub of Advanced Technological Innovation," introducing Pittsburgh’s smart manufacturing systems and the role of local universities.

Following this, Professor Kim Deok-young of POSTECH’s Department of Industrial and Management Engineering presented on "Cases of Smart Manufacturing Application in Korea," emphasizing that customized software development for each company is essential for successful smart manufacturing transformation. Additionally, IBM Chair Professor Suhaeng Cho from Carnegie Mellon University presented on "Industrial Applications of AI/Big Data," and Director Jong Rae Cho of the Autonomous Systems Research Division at the Korea Institute of Robot Convergence presented on "Industrial Applications of Robots," sharing various case studies.

Finally, Professor Jung Woo-sung of POSTECH’s Department of Industrial and Management Engineering introduced Pohang’s smart manufacturing ecosystem and future tasks under the theme "Industrial Artificial Intelligence and Manufacturing Ecosystem in Pohang."

Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, "The designation of a secondary battery specialized complex, passing the preliminary feasibility study for the hydrogen fuel cell cluster, and fostering the bioindustry through the establishment of a research-oriented medical school are gradually becoming visible achievements of Pohang’s three major new growth industries." He added, "Using the declaration of the vision for Pohang as a leading smart manufacturing city as a starting point, we will actively build a smart manufacturing ecosystem."

On the 13th, Mayor Lee participated in the 2023 World Knowledge Forum, Asia’s largest global business forum, where he delivered a keynote speech on "The Role of Local Governments in Smart Manufacturing and Ecosystems," promoting the excellence of Pohang’s smart manufacturing ecosystem.

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