Hyundai Motor’s mixed-model production system to increase efficiency

This file photo provided by Hyundai Motor shows an employee working on an assembly line at the automaker’s No. 2 plant in Ulsan.

SEOUL, March 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Hyundai Motor Co. plans to introduce a mixed-model production system from August that allows different types of vehicles to be assembled on a single assembly line, as part of broader efforts to improve production efficiency. production, industry sources said Monday.

The automaker is currently in talks with its union to introduce the mixed-model production system at the company’s No. 3 plant in Ulsan, about 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul, sources said.

Once this system is introduced, it will pave the way for the production of different types of vehicles on a single assembly line.

Currently, a single assembly line can only produce one or two types of vehicles since automotive components are stacked next to a conveyor belt and assembled one by one. Each model uses different components.

Hyundai plans to improve the system to move all the components needed to manufacture an individual car onto a cart to ensure they are not mixed up and allow a single line to produce different types of models.

Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)