Hyundai to make up to 30K EVs a year at new innovation centre in S’pore with help of 200 robots

South Korean automotive giant Hyundai Motor Group officially opened the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS) today (November 21).

The facility features a highly automated flexible production system, enhancing interactions for electric vehicle (EV) buyers with their vehicles and the Hyundai brand.

Established as one of two innovation pillars alongside the new EV factory in Ulsan, South Korea, HMGICS positions itself to lead Hyundai Motor Group in the electrification era for the next 50 years, contributing to the company’s goal of becoming a 100-year enterprise.

With its global reputation for innovation, the Group chose Singapore as the ideal location for its first “smart urban mobility hub”, emphasising human-centric manufacturing through advanced collaboration between people, robotics, and AI technology.

Euisun Chung, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair said in a media statement that HMGICS serves as an open and connected urban innovation hub redefining the concept of manufacturing. “By combining our manufacturing expertise and the latest cutting-edge technologies, the result is this Innovation Center — a new paradigm of manufacturing,” added Chung.

The collaboration between robots and humans

Integrated into the Jurong Innovation District and Singapore’s smart city ecosystem, the 86,900m2 facility can manufacture up to 30,000 EVs annually.

Operational since early 2023, it currently produces EV models, specifically the IONIQ 5 and the fully autonomous IONIQ 5 robotaxi. HMGICS said that it will donate the first IONIQ 5 manufactured at the facility to the National Museum of Singapore, intended for inclusion in the National Heritage Board’s National Collection.

It added that the HMGICS serves as a testbed for developing future mobility solutions, including Purpose Built Vehicles (PBVs), thanks to its advanced manufacturing capabilities. The facility adopts a cell-based production system, departing from conventional conveyor-belt methods to achieve unparalleled levels of flexibility and automation.

At the core of this innovation is a digital twin platform that facilitates seamless collaboration between humans, robotics, and AI systems. Nearly half of all tasks are efficiently executed by a workforce of 200 robots.

HMGICS operates as a digital twin Meta-Factory, synchronising virtual and physical realms in real time. This allows for unprecedented cooperation between humans and robots, where tasks can be simulated in the digital metaverse while robots execute physical actions on the production line.

Robots at HMGICS handle assembly, inspection, and production facility organisation, taking charge of over 60 per cent of component process management, ordering, and transportation. This strategic allocation of tasks liberates human workers from repetitive and labour-intensive activities, empowering them to focus on more creative and productive responsibilities.

Alpesh Patel, Vice President and Head of Technology Innovation Group at HMGICS, emphasises the compact nature of facilities like HMGICS, making them easily integrable into local communities, especially in urban areas with limited space.

With the help of robotics, AI, and the Internet of Things (IoT), we’ve built a human-centric manufacturing innovation system that can respond to changes in mobility, processes and products with agility and flexibility. These innovations are setting new benchmarks for efficiency and customisation.

Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Mr Lawrence Wong, also came in attendance to witness the opening of the centre. In his speech, he shared that as Singapore is “laboured-tight”, incorporating robots and other new technologies can help to reduce the pressure on Singapore’s workforce.

We will reskill and upskill to make sure that workers can take on higher value jobs. So in Singapore, it is not about robots taking over humans, but humans and robots working together to create more value.

Through experimental innovations like these, HMGICS aims to push the boundaries for EV manufacturing to pilot, testbed, and trial new technologies here in Singapore, as well as deploy and scale successful solutions to its factories around the world.

Transformative and immersive customer experience

HMGICS is setting a new benchmark for customer experience by introducing comprehensive smart urban mobility solutions that redefine the entire customer journey. The hub’s cell-based production system enhances flexibility, providing an elevated level of customisation.

Customers can now utilise the convenient order-from-home service, allowing them to personalise their vehicle’s specifications, including exterior colour and interior trim configuration. This customisation occurs seamlessly online, enabling customers to complete the initial deposit and balance payment securely through online methods, confirming their purchase.

Prior to visiting HMGICS, customers can schedule a virtual reality (VR) tour of the facility (subject to availability). On-site, dedicated ‘Gurus’ are available to provide insights into Hyundai and the brand’s mobility offerings. These Gurus accompany customers on guided tours, offer information about chosen vehicles, and even facilitate test drives around the Jurong Innovation District.

For a thrilling experience, customers can also enjoy an immersive test ride on the facility’s impressive 618-meter rooftop Skytrack.

The HMGICS hub boasts a unique handover zone designed to make the moment of vehicle ownership special and memorable for customers. As a finishing touch to the customer experience, the facility introduces a Smart Farm, contributing to Singapore’s food production capabilities in alignment with the government’s 30 by 30 policy.

The Smart Farm utilises smart agricultural technologies, offering visitors an interactive experience of the farming process while producing up to nine different crops within the facility.

Harvested produce from the Smart Farm serves as both a memento for visitors and a donation to local communities in Singapore. Additionally, the crops feature prominently on the menu of the tasting lounge and an upcoming farm-to-table restaurant scheduled to open in the second quarter next year.

Besides being a manufacturing facility, HMGICS is also an innovation centre focused on research and development.

Jay Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, stated that HMGICS aims to act as a global incubator for Singaporean talents and businesses through its Corporate Lab Program, aligning with Singapore’s future-oriented policies.

Growing together with Singapore

Capitalising on Singapore’s supportive policies, HMGICS is poised to play a pivotal role in nurturing local talent, incubating future businesses, and fostering collaborations with research institutions and universities.

This commitment to an open innovation ecosystem aligns with the centre’s vision to be a leading Research and Development (R&D) facility, focusing on diverse future-oriented business models and sustainable production solutions for EVs and smart mobility.

The inauguration of HMGICS marked a significant step in strengthening ties with Singapore, highlighted by the signing of multiple Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs).

In partnership with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), and the Agency of Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), HMGICS is set to establish Singapore’s first tripartite ‘Corporate Lab.’ This collaborative initiative aims to accelerate innovations and the adoption of new technologies, creating a dynamic future mobility ecosystem in the country.

DPM Wong expressed his support for this collaboration, encouraging companies to fully utilise Singapore’s research capabilities and talents for more solutions to be created.

Another key collaboration involves MOUs with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF), enabling Singaporean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to co-develop advanced manufacturing solutions. This partnership aims to provide Singapore’s mobility industry with a distinctive outlook, setting it apart from traditional automotive landscapes.

HMGICS further solidified its commitment to sustainability by signing an MOU with PTC Logistics, Singapore’s largest logistics service provider. This collaboration seeks to establish a renewable hydrogen energy ecosystem in Singapore.

In line with this, HMGICS will serve as an innovation hub supporting Singapore’s National Hydrogen Strategy, with the ambitious goal of achieving 50 per cent hydrogen usage in the nationwide power supply by 2050.

Hyundai Motor Group is leading the mobility paradigm shift, but we are determined to deliver even
greater levels of innovation. HMGICS will enable us to shape the future of mobility production, and
indeed, the manufacturing industry, in collaboration with the culture of open innovation and
forward-looking policies that Singapore is renowned for globally.

The transformative capabilities of HMGICS in manufacturing and customer experience underscore Hyundai Motor Group’s strategic vision shared with Singapore — a commitment to progressing rapidly in the creation of world-leading, innovative, and sustainable mobility solutions for the benefit of all.

Singapore, at the heart of Asia, we will try our best to remain open and plug ourselves into all the different economies of the region so that we can be a reliable and trusted hub for the region and for the world.

Ultimately, we want Singapore to always be a place where people can come together to imagine new possibilities, and where the human spirit can always thrive.  And I am confident that, working together with all of you and our partners, we will be able to push the boundaries of what is possible, innovate for the world, and create many more exciting opportunities for the future.

Feature Image Credit: Hyundai Motor Group