Hyundai: More Than the 4th Largest Car Manufacturer in the World

Hyundai, as we have already seen here, is not only the 4th largest car manufacturer in the world.

Despite its scale - with more than 120,000 jobs in Europe alone - the Hyundai universe does not end with Hyundai Motor Company. It stretches into fields as varied as the manufacture of industrial machinery, ships, metallurgy, trains, electronic components, mega-factories, public works, military equipment and engineering consultancy.

Taken together, these highly specialised and competitive activities make Hyundai one of the largest industrial conglomerates in the world. Shall we look at each of them?

The largest car factory in the world

The Ulsan plant (South Korea) is the largest car factory in the world, with installed production capacity of 1.5 million cars per year (4,100 cars/day).

Watch the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwD-9H8pnbs

Ulsan is also one of the largest industrial complexes on the planet. From a simple sheet of metal to the finished product, everything happens across Ulsan’s thousands of hectares. Nowhere else in the world are so many cars produced as they are here.

Even with its enormous footprint, the Ulsan factory is among the most sustainable in the automotive industry, thanks to Hyundai’s ongoing investment in processes and infrastructure designed to reduce environmental impact.

The largest shipyard in the world

Hyundai not only owns the world’s largest car factory; it also owns the largest shipyard in the shipbuilding industry.

The biggest engines in… yes, the world

As well as building the largest ships in the world, Hyundai is also responsible for developing and producing the biggest diesel engines on Earth. True "giants" the size of buildings, capable of moving ships that look like floating cities.

These engines, produced and engineered by Hyundai, are fitted to the more than 2,600 ships that Hyundai Heavy Industries manufactures each year. On average, seven ships leave Hyundai’s yards every day.

Alongside cargo vessels, Hyundai also operates a division dedicated to ships for military purposes. These vessels are equipped with the latest innovations in radar systems, weaponry and countermeasures.

At the cutting edge of engineering

Hyundai’s work reaches far beyond transport and heavy industry, extending into other areas of engineering - including the construction of buildings, bridges and factories.

Some of the largest engineering projects of recent years have been delivered by Hyundai’s multidisciplinary teams. Architects and engineers from a wide range of disciplines have created projects like these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5E0lv70N8A

Impressed? It is hardly surprising. Hyundai is one of Asia’s largest steel producers, and it operates one of the most advanced and sustainable metallurgical facilities in the world.

It is in the city of Ulsan - where more than 80% of the population is employed by Hyundai - that these mega-structures can be found, transforming the steel used in the brand’s buildings, ships and cars.

The semi-spherical roof covering Hyundai’s steelworks is one of the largest in the world. According to the brand, its purpose is to prevent harmful gases released by iron and steel smelting from spreading into the atmosphere.

From ship to fuse

Hyundai’s activities are not limited to heavy industry. High-precision electronic components also form part of Hyundai’s business ecosystem.

Under Hyundai Kefico, cutting-edge electronic components for the automotive industry are manufactured: control units, driver-assistance radars, actuators, electromechanical systems, and more. In short, everything you can imagine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2ug4_AEXAg

Next time you see a Hyundai, remember that this "Korean giant" is not only the 4th largest car manufacturer. It is one of the biggest economic and industrial groups in the world.