Fashion Group Hyungji will establish a large-scale research and development (R&D) center in Gochang, North Jeolla Province, to research and demonstrate clothing sewing automation technology. The plan is to develop it into a "physical AI (artificial intelligence)" hub that achieves sewing automation, long considered a challenge for the textile industry.
Fashion Group Hyungji said Tuesday that it will build a clothing sewing robotics demonstration and R&D center on a 6,600-square-meter (about 2,000-pyeong) site located in Heungdeok-myeon, Gochang-gun, North Jeolla Province. The site is located near Samsung Electronics' Smart Hub complex.
The new center will operate not as a simple production facility but as a physical AI demonstration hub that verifies sewing and cutting automation. It will research handling technology for robots to manipulate soft fabric, vision recognition, and automatic cutting technology, and take on the role of verifying technology in actual manufacturing environments through a pilot production line.
The sewing process has been considered a difficult area to automate in the textile industry, as the nature of fabric requires much work that needs human hands. Fashion Group Hyungji plans to overcome such limitations by combining AI and robotics, laying the foundation for innovation in clothing manufacturing.
The center will be established as a complex hub equipped with not only R&D functions but also a pilot line and technology showcase. Through this, it plans to enhance the technological competitiveness of the domestic textile and fashion industry, while also using it to strengthen the manufacturing competitiveness and advance the businesses of affiliates such as Hyungji Elite and Hyungji Global.
This project is also connected to the physical AI and AI data center development policies among the "Three Mega Projects for Korea's Great Leap Forward" recently announced by the government. Fashion Group Hyungji plans to build an AI-based clothing manufacturing ecosystem by linking with government projects going forward and expanding collaboration with semiconductor companies and others.
"We will contribute to securing the future competitiveness of the textile industry by successfully operating a physical AI demonstration center for sewing and cutting automation," a Fashion Group Hyungji official said. "We plan to continue expanding technology development through cooperation with government projects and various industrial fields."
