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Old 5th June 2014, 11:40   #16
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

Hi Deralte,

Thanks for bringing up the detail Report. As a prospective buyer for Grand i10, it will go long way as an help.

I always admired Hyundai Factory, whenever I crossed it on way to my company factory in Kancheepuram as well as the while visiting one company behind the Hyundai Factory in Irunggattukottai area itself.

The size of factory and investment by Hyundai in India is second largest in automobile sector and GM Halol plants looks miniature in comparison.
Appreciate Hyundai for their extra efforts and giving their best for we Indian unlike some of Americans & Japanese.
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Old 5th June 2014, 11:54   #17
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

Good report DerAlte.

Good to see the level of cleanliness of shop floor. Like many others, I too wanted to see some glimpses of the Paintshop.
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Old 5th June 2014, 12:35   #18
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

A well put up report.
The whole world of car manufacturing put up right in front of us via vivid images.
They say that the Japanese are efficient, after going through the above report, I can vouch that the Koreans are not far behind.
To have automated almost 70% of the labor intensive jobs, Hyundai surely has set the standards for efficient use of man power and robotics combined.

Cheers to Hyundai (HMIL) for putting up such a showcase of technical expertise and an eye for natural resources and their conservation.
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Old 5th June 2014, 13:52   #19
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

I am blown away by the facilities and the extent of automation. Is this also rated as one of the best plants in India?

Thanks a lot for such a detailed review.
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Old 5th June 2014, 14:08   #20
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

Thank you for such a nice detailed photologue. If it wasn't for such reports, then we would never have got to know what goes on inside the factory. Very nice and clean facility too. These plants are on par with those in US or EUR; we need to appreciate them for putting out those same quality levels here. What I liked the most was that they re-use the water completely instead of releasing it into the drains.

One question: Did they invite you or did you take special permission? Are we (common man) allowed to write to them and get permission for visiting the plant?
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Old 5th June 2014, 14:14   #21
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

Thanks for the detailed report inside the factory. Hyundai is indeed committed to India with their investments in good quality product, environment and social causes. Thats a very good way to go.

Do you by any chance have videos taken from the visit as well?
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Old 5th June 2014, 14:23   #22
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

Thanks DerAlte for this wonderful post. Having been a proud owner of Hyundai cars since 1999, I am extremely thrilled see the pictures of the factory and cars in production. Having been to the Tata Motors factory and TKM factory, clearly the Hyundai plant is extremely modern and the higher efficiency must be key to their pricing and profitability.

I am mightily enthused at Hyundai's commitment to eco-friendly practices and commitment to social responsibility.

Cheers

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Old 5th June 2014, 14:32   #23
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

Lovely report! Thanks for sharing this.

Brings back a lot of good memories when I had been to the plant with my friend for a 10-day in-plant training during December 2006. At that time, plant-2 was under construction. We were asked to come dressed up in white shirts, black trousers and shoes (regular leather shoes not the steel-toed ones). Hard hats, safety goggles and ear-mufflers would be issued by the company.

On the first day, one of the HR guys directed us to a shop-floor engineer who was in charge of the press shops. The press shop is where the journey of the car begins - the sheet metal takes the form of various shapes such as bonnets, roofs, door panels etc. There was a huge hydraulic press from Hitachi Zosen (imported from Japan we were told; most machinery and robots were imported from Japan and S. Korea) that towered over us. Of course, we seen hydraulic machines and presses in our machines lab in the college but when we saw this machine, we were like this:



IIRC this machine was nearly 3 storeys tall! There were racks next to it where the pressed items would be stored and later transported to the panel assembly area wherein the frames are welded by robots. Cute robots with arms moving all around doing spot welding of the panels and frames. The frame of the cars would be transported in a conveyor system wherein these panels would get welded and then proceeds to the next station. Towards the later stages, the car would spend a definite amount of time (say 2 mins) at one station wherein the worker in-charge of installing a particular component (say dashboard for example) would install it within that time and tick one column in a job-card located on the car which meant that work was completed (there was no RFID at that time; perhaps now the system has improved) and then the car would automatically move to the next station where the worker would install some other component. The components at each assembly station were delivered just-in-time and there was no shortage at any given time.

I recall that the efficiency of the plant was indicated in huge LCDs hung from above and it used to hover around the 98-99% mark all the time indicating the production per day is as per the target. The moment bell rang for the tea-breaks and the workers would leave their respective stations, the efficiency would fall to zero. The good thing we had noticed about the shop floors were, it was completely clean! Not even a speck of dirt visible on the floor. Everything was neatly organized at each station and there were no stray nuts or bolts to be found lying somewhere. Very organized and methodical.

Canteens were run and managed by Sodexho. It was a buffet system and the vegetarian food served was wholesome. We had no complaints. The best part was the tea served in this plant - one of the best I have had so far and tasted as if they have used sweetened condensed milk! I am a sucker for good tea and used to take at least 2-3 cups at a time. The Koreans have a different canteen and a different cuisine. They get pork and other stuff served. Pigs are domesticated and farmed within the animal farm located inside the plant premises and we saw huge pigs and their cute tiny little piglets sticking to their parents inside their cages.

We also went inside the engine assembly plant and during those times, the Santro, Getz, Accent, Elantra and Sonata were the models sold by Hyundai. The engines for the Santro, Getz and Accent were assembled within this plant whereas those from the Elantra and Sonata were imported. There was no foundry inside the plant (not sure if there is one now) and the blocks came from outside. We saw connecting rods, pistons, cam-shafts etc. located at various stations. Once the engine is completely assembled, before it is plonked into the car it undergoes testing at one station. All the necessary pipes and tubes for fuel injection, coolant, oil, exhaust would be connected and the engine is fired to test it. Then it is sent to the assembly area where it would be installed inside the car. Unfortunately we did not get access to the paint shop and Hyundai suggested that this area was off-limits to outsiders.

We also noticed test tracks outside the plant wherein the completed cars would be driven out and tested. The track would simulate a real-time road - potholes, rough patches and uneven surfaces to ensure there is no rattling inside the car nor any loose part which may come out once the car is delivered to the customer. Testing takes approximately 10 mins and the two engineers finally apply a seal to the job card suggesting that the car is complete.

All in all, it was a lovely experience, to know how a car is built from scratch and how it takes shape from sheet metal.

This is the aerial view of the plant courtesy Google Maps:
PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i10-aerial-view.jpg
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Old 5th June 2014, 15:04   #24
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

Remarkable to see that the automated assembly robots are also manufactured by Hyundai!

This brings to mind an old print advertisement mentioning the fact that Hyundai makes everything connected to the cars. From the bolts holding it together to the gargantuan container ships that transport them!
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Old 5th June 2014, 15:37   #25
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

I did not think Hyundai were environment conscious. Zero effluent factory, Rain water Harvesting, 100% water recycling. My respect for Hyundai has grown multi-fold after reading this thread.
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Old 5th June 2014, 15:51   #26
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

WOW, a very nice and detailed tour of the plant. I am really impressed with the way everything is automated with minimum manual intervention.

With this I can certainly say that I will hold Hyundai in high regards going forward.

Just one quick question though, is the plant open for visitors as well or any special permission is required to visit?
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Old 5th June 2014, 17:16   #27
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

Quote:
Originally Posted by abhi_dude View Post
... everything is automated with minimum manual intervention. ...
The advantages are many:

* Number of dimensional and positional errors are reduced drastically. Humans tend to do it by the eye, and suffer parallax problems in doing it that way

* Number of quality issues are drastically reduced as repeatability and accuracy due to automation are much higher than achievable by humans

* Repeatability and accuracy, especially in high speed conditions, ensures higher productivity than humans can achieve

Quote:
Originally Posted by abhi_dude View Post
... is the plant open for visitors as well or any special permission is required to visit?
Quote:
Originally Posted by W.A.G.7 View Post
... Did they invite you or did you take special permission? Are we (common man) allowed to write to them and get permission for visiting the plant?
Entry is usually by invitation only, as visits without a definite purpose would divert essential staff to non-essential activities. Educational institutions can request a visit for a group of students, but these are on specific days, and the exposure is very limited.
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Old 5th June 2014, 17:43   #28
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

Brilliant coverage providing the complete manufacturing process followed by HMIL. They do have high standards for safety and quality. Kudos to you for stitching it all together and presenting a good overview of what goes behind. Thanks a lot for the great effort and sharing it.
AJ
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Old 5th June 2014, 19:31   #29
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

Its actually very advanced.
Majority of clients of org. I work for are tractor manufacturers. Even they are quite advance and a production loss of even 5 tractors has to be accounted for.
These automotive manufacturers implementing JIT and other optimization techniques are even more strict. One of their agenda is to minimize wood packing and initiate recyclable plastic, collapsible MS crate, Corrugated box, etc.
Hyundai, as a group, also has similar agenda ( the firm I work for is likely to be a future supplier of Hyundai group ).


One disturbing, or rather unpleasant fact : Hyundai is offering adjustable head rests for export models! This is rather bad strategy for India. Are they treating us like 3rd world customer ?
Attaching a few images of the same, these export cars having LHD configuration have adjustable front head rests. I wonder if seats themselves are of better quality than what they offer in India. Having single part/less part nos. ( read similar front seats, but not upholstery ) might be better Hyundai!

EDIT : The adjustable head rests explain the spy shots which had adjustable front head rests ( and I had plans to put them in my Grand i10! ). They were for export models.
Attached Thumbnails
PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i10-1.jpg  

PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i10-2.jpg  

PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i10-3.jpg  


Last edited by aaggoswami : 5th June 2014 at 19:36.
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Old 6th June 2014, 11:21   #30
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Re: PICS: Hyundai's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Xcent & Grand i

Nice report! And a nice factory too!

Quote:
Originally Posted by aaggoswami View Post
One disturbing, or rather unpleasant fact : Hyundai is offering adjustable head rests for export models! This is rather bad strategy for India. Are they treating us like 3rd world customer ?
But is it more disturbing than them making an unsafe i10 for us, and a safer one for exports?

Quote:
Attaching a few images of the same, these export cars having LHD configuration have adjustable front head rests. I wonder if seats themselves are of better quality than what they offer in India. Having single part/less part nos. ( read similar front seats, but not upholstery ) might be better Hyundai!
Is that a LHD Grand i10? Which countries is it sold in? Entire Europe may be getting the new i10, and not this one. Was thinking till now that it's an India-only product. But looks like no company can afford to make a country-specific model.
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