Hyundai Plant

Today I went with my Korean Business class to the Hyundai Plant in Asan. It is located about 20 minutes from school and is considered one of the most advanced manufacturing plants in the world. It assembles sedans for export, so the cars we saw today may be coming to a dealership near you!

When we arrived, we were given a brief introduction to the plant and then began our tour of the assembly portion of the plant. We saw the process from the first piece of metal used for the body being molded to completed Sonatas being test driven on a test track. Every 57 seconds, the Asan plant completes a vehicle.

One interesting aspect of this plant that is a key aspect of Hyundai is that almost all the assembly robots and tools used are made by other branches of Hyundai Group. Hyundai was formed as a Chaebol by Chung Juyoung, which is a company that participates in several different industries. Hyundai Heavy Industry Inc remains one of Korea's largest companies specializing in heavy industry today. Hyundai Shipbuilding and Construction are also very prominent in their respective fields. Today, each individual component of the Hyundai Chaebol is owned by a member of the Chung family. I find it interesting that Hyundai as a whole is a pretty independent entity because while its different industries are varied, they complement each other. There is little need for outside investment of the Hyundai group. It was quite a sight to see the robots used to assemble the cars bearing the Hyundai Heavy Industry logo, Hyundai building Hyundai.

Another interesting piece of this plant is that the plant recycles 100% of its waste water in refineries located on the plant grounds. Hyundai is moving towards becoming an environmentally friendly car brand, both in its vehicles and how the cars are assembled. I think it is a great gesture for Hyundai to live up to high standards of responsibility both in products and the assembly process.

I was ecstatic that my class could go to this plant, especially since I based my class project on the history of Hyundai. I find Mr Chung very inspiring and I like that his children have continued his legacy with grace. To see the company I have grown to respect in action so close to my school was awesome!