By Kwaak Je-yup
The quality of Hyundai Motor’s production has been recognized in Central Europe, the car company announced Friday.
According to a press release, the Czech Society for Quality (CSQ), a non-governmental monitoring body of management systems in the European country, awarded Hyundai Motor’s assembly plants in Nosovice in the Moravian-Silesian Region the highest marks “Excellence,” on Thursday.
The facilities, called Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMCC), improved on the “Start Plus” rank of the previous year, moving up a step from the second-best category. The third-best, named “Start,” also exists.
“We hope this award will be a positive influence on expanding our foothold in Europe. Sales have recently increased,” said an HMCC spokesman. “We believe in strict quality control for the initial production of the new (small-sized sedan) i30 and efficient labor management with the addition of a third shift contributed to this award.”
The award ceremony took place at the world-famous Prague Castle, with the leaders of both houses of parliament and several government ministers in attendance. It is an annual event that happens every November.
The “Excellence” award was handed to the HMCC general manager Petr Vanek by the leader of the Czech Senate Milan Stech.
The achievement comes just three years after the Hyundai Motors facilities began mass production. Located on a 200-hectare plot of land, they produce nearly 300,000 small and medium-sized vehicles a year and employ around 3,400 people. The main models include the i30, ix35, and ix20.
Those vehicles have been celebrated by the continent’s enthusiast magazines _ AutoExpress of the U.K. picked the latter as the Best New MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) in August, while the Italian publication Al Volante ranking the ix35 as the top city SUV a month before.
Hyundai Motor operates other European factories, too, namely in Turkey and Russia.
Sister company Kia Motors manufactures in the region, too, at the Zilina Plant in neighboring Slovakia, only 90 km away from Nosovice.
The European expansion, still modest, is a work in progress, with the No. 1 Korean auto company becoming a member of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) next year.