[Report] 'Making Young Cars in a Young Factory'... Gwangju Global Motors as a Testing Ground for Win-Win and Innovation

Average Employee Age 28.3, 20s Make Up 51% of Total
3 Months of Training Before Line Placement
Equal Communication with Skilled Workers

Maximizing Production with Hundreds of Robots Introduced
100% Automation Rate in Body Plant, 73.1% in Painting Department

Gwangju Global Motors, located in the Gwangju Bitgreen National Industrial Complex, has the capacity to produce 100,000 vehicles per year. Since producing the Hyundai Casper for the first time last September, it plans to manufacture 12,000 units by the end of this year and 70,000 units next year.

A robot is installing the bonnet and front door of the Casper body on the body line at Gwangju Global Motors.
Photo by Ki-min Lee victor.lee@

Gwangju Global Motors (GGM) employees are conducting the final quality inspection of the Hyundai Casper. Photo by Korea Automobile Journalists Association

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Over 500 MZ generation workers and hundreds of yellow robots are tirelessly working to produce Hyundai Motor Company's compact sports utility vehicle (SUV), the 'Casper.'

On the 19th, at Gwangju Global Motors (GGM), Korea's first labor-management win-win job model, young workers with an average age of 28.3, armed with coexistence and innovation, were sweating profusely. Among the total 570 employees, 93.4% (498 people) are talents from the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, and those in their 20s account for 51% (275 people).

GGM employees succeeded in entering mass production just two years after the corporation was established, 19 months after the plant construction began, 7 months of test runs, and about 4 months after completion. Especially, although only two months have passed since the first Casper rolled off the production line in September, young-faced workers with skills comparable to experienced craftsmen are rapidly completing the cars. This is possible because employees who joined GGM practice assembling and disassembling the car more than 400 times during about three months of training before entering the production line.

Kim Young-kwon, Head of Production at GGM, explained the reason behind the fast production speed: "Usually, workers who receive Level 1 certification are called advanced operators, but all GGM workers have Level 2 certification. We operate a technical know-how support education program (Supporters system) to connect young employees with experienced skilled workers and pass on technology and experience."

Currently, GGM produces 28 Caspers per hour and 200 per day through specialized employee training. The production target for this year is about 12,000 units, and the plan is to produce 70,000 units next year. Accordingly, GGM plans to hire an additional 500 employees from next year to increase production volume.

To maintain its strength as a young company, GGM is also conducting bold experiments. By abolishing job ranks, as IT companies have attempted, it guarantees equal treatment and communication between young employees and experienced staff. In particular, through line rotation work, employees can experience all areas of vehicle manufacturing. This helps employees understand all processes, improving efficiency while resolving inequalities in work intensity between lines.

Unlike existing automakers, which face strikes every year due to wage negotiations, GGM's labor-management relations are smoothly maintained, which is also considered an advantage. Although the average annual salary is 35 million KRW, about 60% of the industry average, the labor and management agreed to maintain a no-union principle until sales reach 350,000 units, which is unprecedented among automakers. GGM offers relatively low wages but ensures employment stability by guaranteeing the legal retirement age and supports housing costs, clothing, and transportation expenses.

As a young factory, not only the workforce but also the factory facilities are eco-friendly, digital, and flexible. One of the strengths enabling GGM, established 23 years after Renault Samsung Motors' Busan plant, to produce 28 units per hour is its robots. According to GGM, the body shop is 100% automated, and the paint shop has a high automation rate of 73.1%.

The body shop operates with 118 robots that lift and install heavy body parts such as front doors and rear doors. All production lines with robots are enclosed by partitions. Additionally, unmanned robots replacing forklifts recognize their surroundings and automatically stop if a person or object blocks their path.

On this day, the paint shop could not be entered due to many bodies waiting for production. According to GGM, 40 robots are deployed in the paint shop, and water-based paint is used instead of oil-based paint to protect the environment.

Based on young personnel and the latest facilities, GGM hopes to produce not only the Casper but also hydrogen and electric vehicles. Park Kwang-sik, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), said, "The production system is efficient, so we can produce other models without installing new lines for new cars."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.