[Report] The Vanguard of Korea GM's Return to Profit... 'Changwon Plant' Armed with New Products

GM Invests 900 Billion Won... From Compact Car Exclusive to Complete Medium and Large-Scale Facilities
100% Automated Body Line... Assembly Line Designed Ergonomically
60 Units Produced Per Hour... "Full-Scale CUV Production Starting Next Year"

Overview of Korea GM Changwon Plant. Photo by Korea GM

[Changwon=Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] "A complete transformation, a total makeover, a drastic change." This is how on-site employees evaluate the Korea GM Changwon Plant.

The Korea GM Changwon Plant has undergone a complete transformation. GM invested a huge sum of 900 billion KRW. In March last year, a three-story paint shop was newly constructed. From September last year to March this year, the press, body, and assembly plants were also modernized. Through this, the scale was expanded from the existing 220㎡ to 400㎡, enabling the production of various types of vehicle models.

The first impression of the Korea GM Changwon Plant located in Seongju-dong, Seongsan-gu, Changwon, which was visited on the 19th, was the passage of time. The Changwon Plant has been producing compact cars since 1991. The grayish faded building walls and peeling paint seemed to tell the story of the past. However, the moment one entered inside, a different world opened up. Everything was filled with brand-new equipment.

On this day, it was not possible to visit the newly built paint shop of Korea GM. Entering requires full protective clothing similar to that used when entering semiconductor facilities, which takes a long time. Instead, it was possible to tour the press, body plant, and assembly plant.

The first visited body plant manufactures the car body and doors. Upon entering the plant, numerous robots arranged in a wide space caught the eye. There are 605 robots deployed here. The automation rate is 100%. Only a few employees are needed for setting up. Not even a forklift, commonly used to move parts, was visible. It was explained that material transportation was also automated for worker safety and efficiency.

The body line at the Changwon plant of Korea GM. Photo by Korea GM

This kind of equipment investment has led to improved product quality. Lee Dong-ho, a manager at Korea GM, said, "When pilot production started last September, the quality index target was about 75%, but now it is approaching 90%," emphasizing, "High quality has already been achieved from the testing stage, so good cars will be produced at the Changwon Plant."

In the assembly plant, products such as glass, engines, and interior components are assembled onto the car bodies completed in the body plant. However, the employees’ direct work was not observed. This is because it is currently a trial operation period with only a small quantity produced daily.

The assembly plant has introduced various cutting-edge facilities. GM's "Error Proofing Platform" was implemented. If a problem is detected in the vehicle work, additional work is prevented from proceeding. Also, 3D vision technology was used in the robot glass attachment process to minimize errors. This technology was applied for the first time at GM.

Interior view of the assembly plant at Korea GM Changwon Plant. Photo by Korea GM

Ergonomic facilities for workers were particularly noticeable. Vehicle assembly continues along the main conveyor belt, but the floor conveyor moves so that workers do not need to move separately. When assembling parts, the height of the body fixture is adjustable, reducing worker fatigue. A company official explained, "Noise itself has been greatly reduced," and added, "The rail system that covered the upper part of the plant was completely removed, securing natural light for the workers."

The Changwon Plant has transformed from a factory mainly producing small cars into a plant capable of manufacturing medium and large-sized vehicles. It has especially become the most modernized plant, intensively incorporating advanced technology, and is expected to produce 60 vehicles per hour and more than 280,000 vehicles annually. Starting next year, it will begin full-scale production of a new crossover utility vehicle (CUV), and is expected to be a spearhead for Korea GM’s return to profitability.

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