Case study, Evaluating Hyundai HI:

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), headquartered in Ulsan, South Korea, which produces 10 percent of theworld's ships. HHI produces tankers, bulk carriers, containerships, gas and chemical carriers, ship engines, offshore oil and gas drilling platforms, and undersea pipelines.

Coordinating and optimizing the production of so many different products, is obviously a daunting task. The company has already invested nearly $50 million in factory planning software to help manage this effort.

But HHI's "factory" encompasses 11 square kilometers (4.2 square miles) stretching over land and sea, including nine drydocks, the largest of which spans more than seven football fields to support construction of four vessels simultaneously. Over 12,000 workers build up to 30 ships at one time, using millions of parts ranging in size from small rivets to five-story buildings.

This production environment proved too large and complex to easily track the movement of parts and inventory in real time as these events were taking place. Without up-to-the-minute data, the efficiencies from enterprise resource planning software are very limited.

a. List the benefits of moving to a Wireless Shipyard for Hyundai?

b. What were the business challenges identified that led to the need for wireless solutioning.