Hyundai Motor Group Starts Construction of Innovation Center in Singapore
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (third from left), Sung Yun-mo (second from right), Korean minister of trade, industry and energy, Hyundai Motor Group executive vice chairman Chung Eui-sun (third from right) attend an online groundbreaking ceremony for the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore on Oct. 13.
Hyundai Motor Group held a virtual groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of an innovation center in Singapore on Oct. 13.
The Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICS) will act as an open innovation lab for the group’s future mobility research and development.
“HMGICS is a major step forward for Hyundai Motor. The facility is the first of its kind in the world. It will pave the way for more Korean companies to invest here, partner with local suppliers and SMEs, and collaborate with our universities and research institutes,” said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. “Singapore’s goal is to have all our vehicles run on cleaner energy by 2040, in line with our Paris Agreement commitments. We hope this will open up new growth areas for our economy, and create exciting jobs for Singaporeans.”
“Korea and Singapore have cooperated on multiple fronts and the HMGICS represents a new milestone in the continuing collaboration between our two nations,” said Sung Yun-mo, Korean minister of trade, industry and energy. “The key to this collaboration will lie in finding ways to bring together our respective strengths.”
“Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore will strive for ‘Human-Centered Value Chain Innovation for a Mobility Paradigm Shift.’ We will offer products and services tailored to customers’ needs,” said Hyundai Motor Group executive vice chairman Chung Eui-sun. “I am confident the innovations that spring from HMGICS will shape our future global society for the better and contribute to the progress of humanity.”
Hyundai hosted the virtual event with the Singapore government by connecting the Namyang R&D Center in Korea and Jurong Town Hall in Singapore as a safety measure amid COVID-19 pandemic. Officials from the Korean and Singaporean governments, as well as the group, attended the ceremony.
Through HMGICS, the group will seek to realize its vision for human-centered mobility value chain innovation with three strategic directions.
First, the group will focus on enhancing the value of work and the dignity of workers through a human-centered digital transformation. HMGICS will develop innovative systems that combine advanced technologies such as AI, ICT, and big data to allow for work environment where creative potentials are fulfilled, and human value is enhanced.
Secondly, the group will build a customer-centered smart mobility environment where products are tailored to customer needs and mobility services would enrich its customers’ lives.
Lastly, the group will contribute to the building of Singapore’s Smart Nation as a responsible industry member in the smart ecosystem. HMGICS, located in the heart of Singapore, will use eco-friendly energy sources like solar and hydrogen energy to help achieve carbon neutrality.
During an event in May 2019, Chung emphasized the need to bring focus back to customers and their needs. Since then, the group has worked to establish a customer-centered approach on multiple fronts. The group continues the approach at HMGICS in its endeavor to revolutionize future mobility value chain.
In the future, customers will be able to customize and purchase vehicles online using a smartphone, which will immediately start production using Hyundai’s on-demand technology. The customers can then watch their car being manufactured at HMGICS. Once the car is ready for delivery, it will be transferred to the 620-meter-long Sky Track where the customer can test drive the vehicle.
Sky Track will sit atop HMGICS’ state-of-the-art seven-story innovation lab located at the Jurong Innovation District (JID). JID enables how organizations collaborate – by bringing the various nodes of the advanced manufacturing ecosystem together, into a single district to create a one-stop advanced manufacturing hub. Master planned to house the full manufacturing value chain, JID is home to a vibrant ecosystem of researchers, technology and training providers, and advanced manufacturers.
The building will also feature a landing port for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) as well as solar panels providing the site with clean renewable energy. The center will gradually expand its use of renewable energy to eventually use fuel cell as a power supply to minimize emissions from power generation.
HMGICS occupies a footprint of 44,000 square meters with the building covering 28,000 square meters. Construction of the site will be completed by the end of 2022.
The center will also act as a test bed for a human-centered intelligent manufacturing platform with small scale EV production facility on site. The facility will utilize the latest ‘Industry 4.0’ smart technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics. The logistics and assembly lines within HMGICS will be highly automated to establish a safe and efficient work environment. The Group will also test versatile systems that produce multiple models, to respond efficiently to fast changing market environments.