102 evo India | July 2014

From metal to pedal

We visit Hyundai Motor India’s Chennai

manufacturing hub with a view to understand how they manage to

consistently deliver high-quality cars to customers

and understand the highly-advanced manufacturing

techniques while also take a look at their equally

important initiative of eco sustainibility

and Corporate Social Responsibility

WORDS by Di paya n Du t ta

pHO t O G R a pH y by

v i k R a n t Dat e

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Here’s an interesting fact. Hyundai’s 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 hour’s 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 shifts round the clock to ensure maximum productivity. everything

H

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

sent to the assembly line Left: A Verna being assembled on the line. The white covering is a protective shield to prevent scratches and

dents during the assembly process.

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from production to quality and vehicle testing is conducted within the confines of this facility.

Speaking with the cooridnator, i get to know thatHyundai not only uses the plant to manufacture

vehicles for the indian Subcontinent, a large percentage of the units produced are exported to various parts of the globe. not surprisingly, Hyundai has been india’s number one exporter for the past eight years in a row. in 2013, Hyundai sold a total of 380,000 units domestically and exported 110,000 units. this year, the company sold 137,661 units during the period of January to april whilwe exporting 56,187 units during the same period. this makes Hyundai the fastest growing automotive brand since 2005, with global brand value tagged at 9 billion uSD and company’s present growth rate hovering in the vicinity of 20.5%.

While setting shop in india, Hyundai also brought in vendors from korea to ensure quality was never compromised. today, Hyundai have a total of 119 vendors, comprising of both indian and korean manufacturing units. To improve efficiency to

Left: A body-shop robot lifts pressed section of car doors and neatly stacks them in pallets. Above left: Robotised spot welding in the body shop Above: The robots perform a mechanical symphony as Bethoveen plays softly in the background.

HMIL Plant Visit

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their manufacturing process and to conserve expendable resources, most of these vendors have factories set up within a fifty 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 mufflers, 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 finished product each part of the final unit is immaculately pieced together all within the boundaries of Hyundai’s Sriperumbudur plant. the factory itself is highly automated with 90% of the work in the Body shop is done by robots.

The first 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 first sub frame assembly unit. At Hyundai’s

Sriperumbudur plant, this entire process takes place with the help of robots to ensure minimum errors and maximum efficiency.

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 floor 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 fitted. 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

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Above: With different vehicles being assembled on the same line, the pedals are stacked in the order of the vehicles. All the worker has to do is pick the pedal and assemble it. Left: OEM parts come from are a mix of Indian and Korean companies and are housed in a 50km radius around the plant

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HMIL Plant Visit

Below: Workers install the rear windshield. A robot applies special bonding glue onto the glass before fitment Left: Small petrol and diesel engines are manufuctured in-house with stringent quality control measures implrmented during stages of manufacturing.

slightest amount of dust can greatly vary the paint shade and this will only be noticeable during final inspection.

Finally the body arrives in the assembly department which is divided into Chassis-line and trim-line. the doors are removed again for ease of access for the workers. the doors themselves move on a separate conveyor alongside the vehicles so that at the end of the line when the doors are fitted, they match the same vehicle.

Next up, plastic pads are fitted on the exposed area of the vehicle to ensure that the paint remains pristine and scratch-free.

the trim-line is where the entire interior cabin is pieced together, seats dashboards,

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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 both moving simultaneously.

Finally, the assembled car enters the final 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 FriendlyBeing 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 sent to cement industries for co-processing. the eco-friendly nature is best observed on the 56 acre green belt where rain water harvesting is done on a mass scale with a collection of 2.75 lakh kilo litres of water via 4 man-made ponds.

The green belt area has lawns, flowering shrubs, a large cluster of 20,666 trees and about 35,000 saplings.

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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 grubSoon it is time for lunch and we head for the

main canteen. the fare is a delicious mix of indian 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 fish food. Sprinkling some of the food on the water has a shoal of Orange hued fish swimming up. This park is open to all employees, we are told.

there we get in to a discussion about Hyundai’s 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 significantly more efficient than the regular lamps. Motors used in the production shops are high efficiency 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 Hyundai’s 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 responsibilityHyundai 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 dedicated workshop 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 Traffic Squad, educational and vocational training program, Medical Camps and Hyundai Driving School. HMiF is funded directly from HMiL’s earnings with a contribution of Rs 100 for every car sold in the indian market.

Hyundai’s road safety initiatives include the

Hyundai driving school & Driving academy, student traffic volunteer program, highways lights for 4kms on either sides of the factory, Hyundai accent cars for the tamil nadu police. On the Community Development front there is the White Band Campaign, Model village program, Global youth volunteer program, Go Green Campaign, and renovation of government hospital.

the educational programs include Supporting iti programs, donation of cars and engines.

and Hyundai also has arts and Cultural events which Supporting the indo-korean Cultural Centre events and organizing other cultural programs.

as with every large manufacturer, Hyundai is driven to maximise profits but in doing so the core values of serving the environment and humanity as a whole is not forgotten. Driven by a passion to excel in delivering high-quality of products and maximum satisfaction to the customer has been one of the reasons for Hyundai’s sucess both in india and the global arena. L

Below left: The rainwater harverting project contains four lakes that can sustain the facory’s water supply needs for sixty days if needed.Right: Workers manufacturing benches for government schools out of used pallets as part of Hyundai’s CSR initiatives.

HMIL Plant Visit