After Major Facility Investment, Korea GM Changwon Plant Accelerates Global New Car Production

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Korea GM’s Changwon plant, which will be responsible for producing the next-generation global new vehicles, has completed long-term facility investments in the new vehicle production process and is now fully preparing to target the global market.

Korea GM Changwon plant completed a new painting plant for next-generation global new product production in March last year, and from mid-September last year, it carried out large-scale new equipment construction for four months to secure world-class production technology. Through this, Changwon’s press, body, and assembly plants have been transformed into state-of-the-art production plants that simultaneously enhance productivity and efficiency.

The new production process design and equipment construction at the Changwon plant were led by the Production Technology Research Institute of GM Technical Center Korea (GMTCK). In this regard, Roberto Rempel, president of GMTCK, and Kaher Kazem, president of Korea GM, praised and encouraged the efforts of the executives and employees who successfully led the project.

President Rempel said, “Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the GMTCK Production Technology Research Institute and the Changwon plant employees, the Changwon plant has been reborn as a factory equipped with excellent production capabilities and the latest facilities,” adding, “The next-generation global crossover vehicles produced at the Changwon plant from next year will also have the Korean engineering team playing a key role in all processes from design to styling and will achieve global success.”

President Kazem stated, “Korea GM has faithfully fulfilled the promises made to stakeholders in 2018, and this large-scale new equipment investment is also part of the management normalization plan,” emphasizing, “The next-generation global crossover vehicles produced at the Changwon plant from next year will become core models that generate competitiveness and profitability for GM’s Korean operations, alongside the already globally successful Trailblazer.”

The newly transformed Changwon plant has acquired the capacity to produce 60 vehicles per hour through this equipment investment. The press, body, and assembly plants have been transformed into state-of-the-art production plants. By applying GM’s latest global standard technology, ergonomic process design and automation of key processes have been further strengthened, significantly increasing hourly production volume.

In the press plant, two 5250-ton tandem presses capable of handling vehicle production from small to large sizes were installed. By applying the latest automation equipment and methods such as carbon fiber materials and linear motion mechanisms to enable the production of four parts at once, productivity was doubled compared to existing vehicle models.

Additionally, the body plant applied GM’s latest equipment standards to increase process flexibility for producing new vehicle models in the future. It secured world-class levels in safety, quality, and productivity by applying 100% automated welding equipment and a new joining technology called laser brazing. Furthermore, the EMS transport device covering most of the upper part of the plant was removed, securing abundant sunlight and visibility inside the plant, drastically improving workers’ working environment.

In the assembly plant, where many workers are involved due to the nature of the process, numerous ergonomic facilities and technologies considering worker safety and convenience were applied. Height-adjustable conveyor belts were installed on the chassis line to reduce worker fatigue. A worker-centered work environment was also established, including low noise and minimized walking conditions. Additionally, for the first time in GM, a new error detection system was applied throughout the entire plant, dramatically improving quality inspection.

Earlier in March last year, GM Korea completed the construction of a new painting plant within the Changwon plant as part of preparations for producing next-generation global crossover vehicles. The new painting plant was built with an area of 80,000 square meters and a height of three floors. It can handle painting operations for 60 vehicles per hour, and state-of-the-art technologies were applied to ensure the highest product quality, including full automation of key processes and environmentally friendly facilities.

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