Interview: Hyundai eyes AI to enhance customer satisfaction in India. Here's how
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation have revolutionised the world, permeating every aspect of human life over the past decade. From simple tasks like writing to complex endeavours such as understanding human behaviour, AI and automation have made a profound impact. The automotive industry is no exception to this trend. While many automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) leverage AI and automated technologies to improve customer experiences, such as through over-the-air in-car services, Hyundai Motor India has gone a step further by integrating automation and AI into their manufacturing facilities.
While it's common for auto OEMs to use AI and automation in manufacturing for increased productivity, Hyundai stands out by not only streamlining operations but by seeking to enhance customer satisfaction with the eventual product through these new manufacturing technologies.
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In a recent interaction with HT Auto, Gopala Krishnan CS - Chief Manufacturing Officer, Hyundai Motor India Limited, explained that having a high level of automation at the manufacturing plant enables the company to have a ‘zero defect’ production cycle, which in turn means that customers will always get a perfect vehicle.
Hyundai Motor India says its manufacturing approach is centred around three core pillars: advanced body strength, rigorous testing, and superior quality, all of which align with the automaker's global standards. At their Tamil Nadu facility, the company leverages Industry 4.0 Automation, enabling precise body dimensional accuracy through automated 3D scanner systems. This integration of technology allows Hyundai to harness the power of AI, streamlining manufacturing processes, reducing errors, and maximising output.
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Krishnan explained that Hyundai believes in a customer focused, human-centric innovation which has open resource circulation and has data governance. What that means is that the company uses processes like digital pre assembly, robo programmes, offline testing and virtual reality training to fine tune the new models in the development process. This ensures faster development time of new models and thus helps the company to keep up with the ever-changing trends in the market.
Krishnan also claims that the approach also helps Hyundai build an innovative culture amongst the employees which allows better ideas for future products. Krishnan believes that through continuous research and development, Hyundai seeks to leverage AI to create safer, smarter, and more sustainable mobility solutions for the future.
AI helping in demand management
While AI is aiding Hyundai in refining its products, it is also helping the company to keep up with the market demands. Hyundai’s manufacturing plant in Chennai has body weld lines which can produce multiple models in a single line. This gives the company the flexibility to increase or decrease the production rate of a particular model depending on the market demand, hence reducing the waiting period. “The idea is to try to make the production lines much more flexible and agile to the market demand," added Krisnan.
He explained that the company is taking a very conscious call and a very calculated decision to invest in the future technologies. “Ultimately our aim is to achieve manufacturing excellence by integrating advanced manufacturing technology so that it will help the customers," the Hyundai chief manufacturing officer concluded.
