Hansol Paper to Build AI Factory for Paper-Making Process in 12.2 Billion Won Project

AX transformation of paper-making processes gathers pace
Building an autonomous AI factory

Hansol Paper said on October 15 that it had been selected for a government-funded project, overseen by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, to build an AI factory for papermaking processes linking large and small businesses.

A view of Hansol Paper's Daejeon plant. Hansol Paper.

The project will apply AI (artificial intelligence) technology throughout the papermaking process to build an autonomously operated AI factory that optimizes production and equipment operations.

A consortium of seven organizations will take part, comprising two companies that will use the system, including Hansol Paper, three AI-specialized companies, and two research institutions. The project will run for about four years, through 2029. It will have a total budget of 12.2 billion won, including 8.5 billion won in government funding.

Hansol Paper plans to integrate and standardize process, equipment, and quality data collected at its plant, then develop and validate AI models in stages for optimizing thermal energy, diagnosing equipment abnormalities, and analyzing quality. The company will use these models to analyze manufacturing data and build an AI factory platform that supports optimal operating conditions and decision-making.

The project will enable the company to optimize steam production at its incinerator and reduce steam consumption in the papermaking drying process. It will also make it possible to predict equipment abnormalities or failures in advance and link manufacturing data between large and small businesses, helping improve productivity and energy efficiency while strengthening equipment reliability and quality competitiveness.

Based on the project's results, Hansol Paper plans to develop a standardized model that can be extended to manufacturing industries similar to the paper industry.

A Hansol Paper representative said, "The significance of this project lies in establishing a foundation that goes beyond applying AI technology to individual processes: it connects diverse data from manufacturing sites and puts that data to use in actual production decisions. Starting with this project, we will continue to advance AI-based manufacturing innovation models and strengthen our overall manufacturing competitiveness, including productivity, energy efficiency, quality, and safety."

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