Establishing a logistics automation system using artificial intelligence in Korea’s largest smart mega hub
Improved productivity and accuracy, and reduced waiting time… Dramatic increase in logistics throughput
POSCO DX (CEO Jung Duk-kyoon) applied cutting-edge technologies, such as AI, to successfully build the logistics automation system for Hanjin Daejeon Smart Mega Hub, the largest of its kind in Korea.
Hanjin Daejeon Smart Mega Hub is the largest logistics center in Korea, equipped with four floors above ground, a total floor area of 148,230 m², the size of 21 soccer fields, and boasts the capability to process 120,000 items per hour.
As the largest of its kind in the country, the system is also vast, taking 3 years and 5 months to build it completely. The center is equipped with a conveyor with a total length of 40km, a 2.5km cross-belt sorter that automatically sorts products, and a dock capable of loading 200 vehicles and unloading 80 vehicles concurrently.
In collaboration with Hanjin Corp., POSCO DX, which was in charge of building the system, introduced its own image recognition AI technology to tasks that were manually sorted by workers with the naked eye. By implementing the ‘AI 3 sorting system’ that automatically recognizes the shape of cargo with irregular shapes and sizes, such as gunny sacks, wrapping cloths, etc., and automatically sorts them by size in advance, sorting tasks previously performed by deploying workers at 80 unloading lines have been automated.
Similarly, it has been evaluated that the automation and accuracy of the sorting process were dramatically improved by building a ‘vision singulator’ that analyzes the shape of courier products sent in large quantities with an AI-based vision camera and then arranges them in a row.
During peak times marked by high volume, POSCO DX adjusts warehousing times and has also established the Dock Management System (DMS) to shorten vehicle waiting times. This system has made it possible to provide a scheduling service that notifies the vehicle driver in advance of the available stocking time every 30 minutes and utilizes image recognition AI to identify the remaining load in the truck working at the dock where products are loaded and unloaded, allowing the next worker to prepare in advance.
POSCO DX has achieved the result of shortening the construction period through scientific project management. From the basic design stage, the construction period has been shortened by applying simulation tools to pre-verify the cargo throughput for each designed layout and eliminate errors.
Cho Seok-joo, head of the Logistics Automation Department at POSCO DX said, “With organic collaboration with Hanjin Corp., we were able to innovatively shorten the production and test run period through IT + PLC (control) SW convergence technology, which is the company’s core competency.” He added, “In particular, we began receiving the entire volume from the nearby Daejeon Logistics Center in early January and have reached stabilization early on by completely handling the volume during the Lunar New Year peak season. It became an opportunity to demonstrate the excellence of POSCO DX’s design and construction capabilities in all logistics center processes, including machinery, electricity, control, and IT.”
Meanwhile, at the design stage, Hanjin Daejeon Smart Mega Hub acquired the “Smart Logistics Center Grade 1” preliminary certification bestowed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to courier cargo sorting facilities with excellent efficiency and safety, and is scheduled to be converted to this certification after completion. Certification grades are classified from 1 to 5 based on the level of cutting-edge advancement and automation of the facility, with Daejeon Smart Mega Hub achieving the highest grade.
