Hyundai Mobis to aid dealers hit hard by COVID-19
An employee watches monitors at Hyundai Mobis' test site in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Hyundai Mobis
By Kim Jae-heun
Hyundai Mobis has come up with support measures to help its dealers which have been struck hard by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
For the month of April, Hyundai Mobis will provide discounts on car parts for 1,134 dealers across the nation. This is expected to reduce costs by about 3 million won ($2,432) per shop.
The car parts maker will also extend this month’s payment due date by three months at the dealers’ request. Many of them are short of cash due to a decrease in sales along with delays in payments from clients.
In addition, the company’s employees have come up with a fundraiser to aid medical teams fighting COVID-19.
Since March 26, Hyundai Mobis employees have raised about 75 million won ($60,861) to support medical staff fighting to overcome the virus nationwide. The company chipped in the same amount to raise 150 million won to donate to Medipeace, a nonprofit organization.
The company said the money will be used to purchase medical supplies including protective clothing, masks and food packs for workers on isolation wards and in intensive care units.
The program was started at the suggestion of an employee on the company’s online community “konggam,” meaning “empathy” in Korean.
The suggestion received positive feedback and many joined the effort. The company also joined the program and helped select the charity to receive the donation.
In addition, Hyundai Mobis will provide 5,000 hand sanitizers to car parts dealers nationwide.
Meanwhile, under the title, “Safe and healthy workplace,” Hyundai Mobis has been offering a work-from-home system since last month.
Half of the employees at headquarters and research centers have been working from home every other day to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Pregnant employees have been working from home, and those with children under seven years old were recommended to take family vacations.
Hyundai Mobis has established long-term self-regulating safety and health measures to be included within the company culture.
It is also holding regular simulation exercises to better prepare for diverse emergency situations, allowing the company to make quick decisions through a simplified reporting system. The emergencies include fire and safety accidents.