According to the latest data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China has ranked first globally for 15 consecutive years in the three major indicators of the shipbuilding industry in 2024: completed shipbuilding volume, new orders received, and orders on hand. Seizing the opportunity of this new wave of rapid development in the shipbuilding sector, Huagong Tech is actively investing in the high-end shipbuilding industry, promoting the industry’s advancement through technological innovation. Recently, a journalist from China Shipbuilding News interviewed Ma Xinqiang, Party Secretary and Chairman of Huagong Tech, to explore how the company is becoming a solid partner for shipyards in the long marathon of “intelligent and digital transformation.”
Full report as follows:
“China’s laser industry has now entered the global first tier,” said Ma Xinqiang, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and Chairman of Huagong Tech, during the second “deputy channel” group interview at the 14th National People’s Congress. “We aim to make high-end laser equipment more accessible for China’s manufacturing enterprises.”
In recent years, laser technology has broken industrial boundaries with its penetrating innovations. Its application in shipbuilding has grown rapidly, offering strong technical support for the industry’s transformation and writing a new chapter for Chinese shipbuilding in the deep blue sea. Ma pointed out that in the face of trends such as green, low-carbon development and intelligent and digital transformation, the shipbuilding industry is primarily challenged by intelligentization, digitalization, and greening. Through technological innovation and ecosystem collaboration, Huagong Tech is helping Chinese shipbuilders solve these problems and empowering the industry with cutting-edge technologies.
Making Manufacturing More Efficient, Greener, and User-Friendly
As a leading provider of intelligent manufacturing solutions in China, Huagong Tech is leveraging its dominant position in the laser industry to address pain points in shipbuilding. It has independently developed intelligent equipment including high-end laser cutting machines, laser cleaning equipment, comprehensive marking machines, and laser hybrid welding machines. It also provides intelligent production lines for ship hull components and digital products such as vision-based sorting and digital twin systems.
“True digital-intelligent transformation is not simply replacing labor with machines,” Ma emphasized, “but making manufacturing more efficient, greener, and more human-centric through technological innovation.”
Facing industry upgrades, Huagong Tech developed the world’s first all-in-one marking and printing machine. It can simultaneously print assembly lines, processing symbols, text IDs, and QR codes onto steel plates, fully replacing traditional manual labeling. This technology enables high-precision, automated, and intelligent hull marking and has already been adopted by a major domestic shipyard.
In addition, Huagong Tech is tackling the difficulties of processing complex materials such as high-strength steel, aluminum alloys, and composites. It is actively researching laser hybrid welding, which combines high-precision laser and arc welding to reduce the heat-affected zone and improve welding quality and speed.
To resolve "data silos" across design, cutting, and welding processes, Huagong Tech also developed a smart laser equipment cloud platform. This system interfaces seamlessly with platforms like Tribon and CATIA, allowing real-time adjustments to machining paths, real-time data interaction across design, production, and supply chains, and the use of digital simulations to detect design flaws early and reduce rework.
Huagong Tech has undertaken projects such as the automation line at Wuhu Shipyard’s Weihai base, Jining Energy’s green smart factory, and the digital green smart factory at Weihai Shipyard. So far, over 50 smart production lines and smart factory projects have been completed.
Its intelligent cutting and blanking lines have overcome numerous challenges such as intelligent hybrid nesting for full-process steel plate cutting, high-precision weak-feature recognition, intelligent generation of cutting lines, heuristic-based robotic sorting, and collaborative AGV scheduling. These technologies enable fully automated production for steel plates and profiles—from warehousing and material loading to cutting, sorting, and transfer—with cutting automation rates reaching 100%, vision accuracy at 99%, sorting automation at 95%, and delivery accuracy at 100%. Material utilization rose to 87%, and overall efficiency increased nearly tenfold.
In welding, Huagong Tech tackled problems such as large welding deformation and low efficiency. Its intelligent welding lines integrate technologies such as vision-guided automatic tack welding, reverse modeling for teaching-free welding, deformation control, and hybrid laser-arc panel welding. These advancements enable flexible, intelligent welding for thin plates, small assemblies, and T-beams, supported by intelligent logistics and digital solutions.
According to Ma, the company’s development strategy is centered around “intelligent equipment, automated production lines, and smart factories.” Huagong Tech is accelerating integration of smart equipment, intelligent lines, and next-gen information tech to provide comprehensive solutions for hull component manufacturing, aiming to lead with high-end, empower with intelligence, and develop green technologies, helping China’s shipbuilding industry move up the global value chain.
Driving Shipbuilding Forward with Innovation
In today’s volatile supply chain environment, Ma emphasized the importance of self-reliance in core technologies. Huagong Tech has achieved nearly 100% localization in areas like human-machine interfaces, ship program conversion software, coding and marking software, nesting for beveling, waste material segmentation, and automated nesting management systems. In addition, specialized equipment such as integrated coding and cutting machines and ball-flat steel cutting lines have been developed to meet specific shipyard needs.
Looking forward, Huagong Tech is investing in key R&D areas: laser hybrid welding for thick plates, vision-based welding for large assemblies, digital twin technologies for multi-process systems, and multi-source sensing and precision control across ship production. The goal is to lead with high-end technologies, empower with intelligence, and grow through greening. By strengthening critical tech development and working closely with industry partners, the company aims to introduce more new processes, products, and solutions tailored to market and client needs.
“Our core philosophy is ‘dare to think, dare to act,’” Ma concluded. “Digital-intelligent transformation in shipbuilding is a marathon, and Huagong Tech is committed to being a long-term partner to shipyards, helping China become a shipbuilding powerhouse.”
Source: China Shipbuilding News
