pdf in review grand jul 2014

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102 evoIndia | July 2014

From meta

to peda

We visit HyundaiMotor Indias Chennai

manufacturing hub witha view to understandhow they manage to

consistently deliver high-quality cars to customers

and understand the highly-advanced manufacturing

techniques while also takea look at their equally

important initiativeof eco sustainibility

and Corporate SocialResponsibility

WORDSby DIP AYAN DU TTA

P H O T O G R A P H Y by

V I K R A N T DAT E

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July2014| evoIndia


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HERES AN INTERESTING

fact. Hyundais Plant

in Chennai went from

groundbreaking to the process

of production in a span of just

18 months. It is a record of sorts. One among

many other acolades Hyundai has achieved

since it landed on Indian shores.

We are at the Hyundai plant, an hours drive

outside Chennai, a 535-acre fully integrated

state-of-the-art manufacturing hub, the facility

comprises of two major plants that are capable

of producing 680,000 units between them.

Plant 1 has a production capacity of 330,000

units, while Plant 2 can produce 350,000 units.

Hyundai employs a total of 9,500 personnel

most of whom are shuttled around from

various parts around Chennai in 110 busses.Employees work in three shif ts round the clock

to ensure maximum productivity. Everything

H

Advertorial

Above:A worker fits the ront cooling module.most major units are pre assembled beor being

sent to the assembly line Lef:A Verna beingassembled on the line. The white covering is

a protective shield to prevent scratches and

dents during the assembly process.


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July2014| evoIndia

from production to quality and vehicle tes

conducted within the connes of this facil ity.

Speaking with the cooridnator, I get to kno

Hyundai not only uses the plant to manuf

vehicles for the Indian Subcontinent, a

percentage of the units produced are ex

to various parts of the globe. Not surpri

Hyundai has been Indias number one exporthe past eight years in a row. In 2013, Hyund

a total of 380,000 units domestically and ex

110,000 units. This year, the company sold 1

units during the period of January to April w

exporting 56,187 units during the same perio

makes Hyundai the fastest growing auto

brand since 2005, with global brand value

at 9 billion USD and companys present grow

hovering in the vicinity of 20.5%.

While setting shop in India, Hyundai also b

in vendors from Korea to ensure quality was

compromised. Today, Hyundai have a total

vendors, comprising of both Indian and K

manufacturing units. To improve efcien

Lef:A body-sho

robot lifs pressedsection o car doo

and neatly stacks

in pallets. AboveRobotised spot w

in the body shop

Above:The robo

perorm a mecha

symphony as

Bethoveen plays s

in the background

HMIL Plant V


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their manufacturing process and to conserve

expendable resources, most of these vendors

have factories set up within a fty kilometre

radius. Of the 119 companies, 42 Korean

vendors provide components like engine parts,

headlamps, seats, body parts and AC. The

rest of the 77 companies are Indian vendors,

who provide components like mufers, alloys,batteries, pedals and alternators.

FROM SHEET METAL TO A ROAD CAR

Moving to the Body shop, I am informed that

from sheet metal to the nished product each

part of the nal unit is immaculately pieced

together all within the boundaries of Hyundais

Sriperumbudur plant. The factory itself is

highly automated with 90% of the work in the

Body shop is done by robots.

The rst step in the manufacturing process is

Pressing. Sheet metal enters the factory in rolls

after which it is pressed and processed into a

part of the sub-frame of the unit that it belongs

to. These pieces are then sorted and move to

the rst sub frame assembly unit. At Hyundais

Sriperumbudur plant, this entire process

takes place with the help of robots to ensure

minimum errors and maximum efciency.

The next stage is where the various pieces

of the sub-frame are welded together to form

the body shell. The roof is glued to the body

with a special sealant with a view to minimise

vibration and for better sound insulation.Thereafter everything from roof to oor pan,

are spot welded together with the help of

robotic arms. Once the complete chassis leave

this unit they are re-checked by the factory

technicians to ensure the integrity of the build

and check for machine errors.

Following inspection, just before the bare

shell enters the paint booth, the doors, bonnet

and bootlid are tted. This is done to ensure

that the paint coat is even throughout the body

of the vehicle. Hyundai uses an eco-friendly

water based paint process to minimize toxic-

waste that is generated at the plant.

We could not visit the paint area as the

environment is kept highly contaminant-free.

Maximum precautions are taken as even the

Advertorial

Above:With different vehicles beingassembled on the same line, the pedals are

stacked in the order o the vehicles. All the

worker has to do is pick the pedal and assemble

it. Lef:OEM parts come rom are a mix oIndian and Korean companies and are housed in

a 50km radius around the plant


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July2014| evoIndia

HMIL Plant V

Below:Workers install the rearwindshield. A robot applies special

bonding glue onto the glass beore

fitment Lef:Small petrol and diesel

engines are manuuctured in-house

with stringent quality control

measures implrmented during stages

o manuacturing.

slightest amount of dust can greatly va

paint shade and this will only be noti

during nal inspection.

Finally the body arrives in the Ass

department which is divided into Chassis-li

Trim-line. The doors are removed again f

of access for the workers. The doors themmove on a separate conveyor alongsi

vehicles so that at the end of the line wh

doors are tted, they match the same vehic

Next up, plastic pads are tted o

exposed area of the vehicle to ensure th

paint remains pristine and scratch-free.

The Trim-line is where the entire i

cabin is pieced together, seats dashb


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carpets, door pads are installed onto the frame

with attention to detail. The facility even uses

special plastic pads on the body of the vehicle,

to ensure that the paint remains pristine.

The Chassis-line is where the fully built

chassis is mated to the engine and transmission

This process is a sight to behold as the car comes

down from the top and matches the engine

transaxle and rear sub-frame whith the bothmoving simultaneously.

Finally, the assembled car enters the nal

line, where the vehicle goes in for inspection.

The car then passes through for roll and brake

testing. Hyundai conducts these tests on their

own test track track on the premises. 100 per

cent of the vehicles manufactured are tested to

guarantee consistency in quality. Thereeafter

the cars go through a shower test and is sent

to the parking lot where, in the next two-

three days, it will be transported to various

dealerships across the country.

The parking lot itself is huge, with cars

parked in rows as far as the eye can see.

ECO FRIENDLY

Being one of the largest manufacturing hubs

in the country, Hyundai employs an eco-

friendly policy while running their factory. At

Hyundai, primary focus is towards preserving

the environment and giving back to society.

Conserving resources and reducing pollution

are some of the important goals of the factory.

Which is why the factory recycles 100 per cent

of the waste water generated, which is reused

for other processes in the plant. Even the

leftover paint sludge is processed and

cement industries for co-processing. Th

friendly nature is best observed on the 5

green belt where rain water harvesting i

on a mass scale with a collection of 2.7

kilo litres of water via 4 man-made pond

The green belt area has lawns, ow

shrubs, a large cluster of 20,666 trees and

35,000 saplings.

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July2014| evoIndia

We then are driven to the farmhous situated

within the factory campus. A serene place with

green cover and lakes, there is garden with a

wooden platform in the midle of the water body.

TIME FOR SOME GRUB

Soon it is time for lunch and we head for the

main canteen. The fare is a delicious mix ofIndian and Korean cusine which, on one day

of the week is shared by Indian and Korean

workers alike as a way of bonding.

We go in an sit to have a breather from the

sweltering heat. A person comes in with two

bowls of sh food. Sprinkling some of the

food on the water has a shoal of Orange hued

sh swimming up. This park is open to all

employees, we are told.

There we get in to a discussion about

Hyundais contribution towards the

environment and the community.

Hyundai is also striving to reduce their energy

consumption by 3-4% annually. The plant

currently uses T5 lamps, which are signicantly

more efcient than the regular lamps. Motors

used in the production shops are high efciency

ones to control the energy used. Hyundai employs

an online monitoring and automatic switch-off

system for electrical equipment, solar water heating

systems, solar light pipes for office lighting and

LED lights for street lighting for efficient energy

consumption. To reduce propane consumption

in the plant, a heat recovery system has been

installed. To honour Hyundais commitment to the

environment, HMIL has been awarded the Green

Award in the Large Industries category for the year

2011-2012 by the Tamil Nadu government.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Hyundai believes strongly in giving back to

society, and runs a number of initiatives under

their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.

One of these initiatives involves packing

wood used for transporting vehicle components

to make benches and desks for government

schools. This is done in-house with a dedicatedworkshop within the vicinity of the plant.,

where Hyundai imparts vocational training to

the unskilled workers.

Hyundai formed the Hyundai Motor

India Foundation (HMIF) in 2006 to initiate

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities

in areas of health care, educational and

vocational training, environment, road safety,

art, science, technology, etc. Some activities

of HMIF include Happy Move, Hyundai Trafc

Squad, Educational and Vocational Training

Program, Medical Camps and Hyundai Driving

School. HMIF is funded directly from HMILs

earnings with a contribution of Rs 100 for every

car sold in the Indian market.

Hyundais road safety initiatives include the

Hyundai driving school & Driving Aca

student trafc volunteer program, hig

lights for 4kms on either sides of the fa

Hyundai Accent cars for the Tamil Nadu

On the Community Development fron

is the White Band Campaign, Model

program, Global Youth Volunteer Pr

Go Green Campaign, and renovatigovernment hospital.

The Educational Programs include Sup

ITI programs, donation of cars and engines

And Hyundai also has Arts and C

Events which Supporting the Indo-K

Cultural Centre events and organizing

cultural programs.

As with every large manufacturer, H

is driven to maximise prots but in do

the core values of serving the enviro

and humanity as a whole is not forg

Driven by a passion to excel in delivering

quality of products and maximum satisf

to the customer has been one of the r

for Hyundais sucess both in India an

global arena. L

Below lef:The rainwater

harverting project

contains our lakes

that can sustain the

acorys water supply

needs or sixty days i

needed.Right: Workers

manuacturing benches

or government schools

out o used pallets as

part o Hyundais CSR

initiatives.

HMIL Plant V

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