Hyundai
SINGAPORE—The Hyundai Motor Group appears to have figured it out. Whereas different automakers are pulling again on EVs, the Korean automaker continues to introduce EVs that individuals like and are buying.
It isn’t rocket science that for those who provide good EVs at comparatively cheap costs, the gross sales will observe. Or possibly it’s; I do not wish to fake I perceive the thoughts of an automotive CEO.
As HMG gears up for extra fashions in its lineup and falls for the attract of elevated EV gross sales, it is constructing extra services, together with the Georgia Metaplant that Hyundai is rushing to start production in 2024. As soon as at peak manufacturing, Hyundai says it can spit out about half one million EVs a yr.
I visited one other plant. The Hyundai Motor Group’s Innovation Heart in Singapore (HMGICS) is not focusing on massive numbers. As a substitute, it is a facility constructed to determine how you can make that Metaplant extra environment friendly whereas piloting packages to supply up customized, low-run EVs.
The machine that builds the machine
In Singapore, HMG is working towards the machine that builds the machine. As a substitute of making an attempt to place it into apply at a major factory the way Tesla did with the Mannequin 3, it is making an attempt out alternative ways to include extra robots and AI (yeah, AI) to scale back the variety of people on the road. Properly, not likely even a line. HMG has eliminated that side of automobile constructing at this facility.
I have been lucky sufficient to go to fairly just a few car meeting strains. Exterior of some small variations right here and there, they’re all just about the identical, with people and robots working collectively, every with its personal activity, to construct a car. One factor that is for probably the most half a human job is putting in the sprint and seats. Even when a robotic strikes the objects into place, a human adjusts and secures them to the car.
Hyundai’s Innovation Heart has put robots answerable for that total activity. One robotic locations the sprint whereas one other swings in and secures it to the car. A formidable feat, as a result of this activity is filled with continually altering variables.
Hyundai
Whereas manufacturing has turn into extremely environment friendly at pumping out autos, there are slight variations between each single body that comes down the road and the location of the car itself inside an area. When you have got people who’re in a position to alter to teeny, tiny variations on the fly, it isn’t a problem. Robots have a more durable time figuring this out.
To resolve these points, the robots themselves are nothing particular, however they’re outfitted with laptop imaginative and prescient and sensors. Then there’s AI thrown in in order that the machine understands when issues do not at all times line up completely and adjusts to the setting. The system isn’t fairly the place Hyundai needs it to be but. The aim is to find out calibration for each single car through 3D scanning after which have every robotic take the data and alter itself on the fly.
Hyundai factors to elevated high quality in manufacturing and the power to rapidly alter the robots because of the superior instruments that energy them. If it may possibly pull this off at scale in a spot just like the Metaplant, it might be a sport changer, saving money and time within the manufacturing of autos.
Hyundai
As for the manufacturing facility line, that does not actually exist right here. As a substitute, Hyundai is utilizing workstations referred to as cells. A car sits on a robotic service and is transported to every cell to have a part of its meeting fulfilled. Every cell has a time restrict primarily based on how lengthy it ought to take to finish a activity. That is true for each robot-only and human-robot partnerships. Which brings us to the robots.