HII experiments with an HD Hyundai Heavy Industries intelligent mechanized welding machine at its Ingalls Shipbuilding facility in Pascagoula, Miss. (Photo: HII)

HII [HII] is moving forward in its strategic partnership with South Korea's  HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) through a pilot program that will use more intelligent mechanized welding equipment, expanding automation, the company announced Wednesday. The shipbuilder said the pilot specifically deploys “intelligent mechanized welding systems in unit‑fabrication areas that currently rely predominantly on manual welding at its Ingalls Shipbuilding facility in Pascagoula, Miss. The new systems are designed to make demanding welding safer and more efficient by automatically recognizing…