This story is by Autotalk.com.au
In a virtual ceremony linking Namyang, Korea with Jurong, Singapore, Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) announced it will build a new innovation centre in the island city-state.
The Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre in Singapore (HMGICS) will act as an open innovation lab for the Group’s future mobility research and development, with the aim of revolutionising the future mobility value chain.
“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,” Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong says.
“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,” he says.
“The innovation centre will strive for ‘Human-Centred Value Chain Innovation for a Mobility Paradigm Shift.’ We will offer products and services tailored to customers’ needs,” The Groups vice chairman Euisun Chung says.
“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,” he says.
Through HMGICS, the Group will realise its vision for human-centred mobility value chain innovation with three strategic directions.
First, the Group will enhance the value of work and the dignity of workers through a human-centred 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-centred 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 will use eco-friendly energy sources like solar and hydrogen energy to help achieve carbon neutrality.
In future, customers will be able to customise 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 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 organisations 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 centre will gradually expand its use of renewable energy to eventually use fuel cell as a power supply to minimise emissions from power generation.
HMGICS occupies a footprint of 44,000 m2 with the building covering 28,000 m2. Construction of the site will be completed by the end of 2022.
The centre will also act as a test bed for a human-centred intelligent manufacturing platform with small scale EV production facility on site. The facility will utilise 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.
Hyundai’s vision of progress for humanity also prioritises sustainability, and the centre will play a pivotal role in identifying opportunities in the mobility field. The centre also will explore new business concepts, including BaaS (battery-as-a-service) in order to enhance customers’ experiences of EV ownership.
HMGICS will be home to the Group’s R&D experts from around the world, including members of the Hyundai CRADLE innovation hub and AI Research (AIR) Centre. Affiliate companies such as Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Glovis, Hyundai Autoever, Hyundai WIA, Hyundai Rotem and Hyundai Transys will also take part in HMGICS.
The collaboration will go beyond the Group and into the Singaporean innovation ecosystem. Singaporean universities, start-ups and research institutes, including Nanyang Technological University, Singapore – the first local academic research partner – will be able to collaborate through the open innovation lab.
https://autotalk.com.au/industry-news/hyundai-building-singapore-open-innovation-lab
