It is world-class. Capable of producing 60 vehicles per hour and 280,000 vehicles annually, this is the paint shop at GM’s Chevrolet Changwon plant built with an investment of 900 billion won. GM plans to reveal its new ambitious project at the Changwon facility.
On the 19th, Chevrolet held a tour event at the Changwon plant to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Korean GM. Since acquiring Daewoo Motors, Korean GM has purchased over 100 trillion won worth of materials and parts from domestic suppliers over the past two decades and has employed 12,000 staff, contributing to the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs. Additionally, they have produced 12 million complete vehicles and 14 million semi-finished vehicles, working hard to establish Korean GM’s position in the global market.
At the center of this success is the Changwon plant. The new paint shop in Changwon was completed in March 2021, and in September of the previous year, a massive investment was made over four months to replace the press, body, and assembly lines with new equipment.
Covering an area of 80,000 square meters and built over three floors, the paint shop can handle painting work for 60 vehicles per hour. The first floor consists entirely of manual processes, the second floor is home to automated painting processes, and the third floor features air conditioning systems designed to enhance both convenience for workers and productivity.
State-of-the-art sealing and painting automation facilities provide for uniform coating. The hem flange sealing process—a technology applied for the first time in the country—ensures that various sizes of vehicles can be accommodated, reaching a production capacity of up to 60 vehicles per hour.
The press factory is equipped with two 5,250-ton presses capable of simultaneously handling small to large-sized components. Using the latest automation techniques with carbon fiber materials and linear motion mechanisms, it has increased productivity by more than twice compared to existing rates by enabling the production of four components at once.
In the body shop, GM’s latest equipment standards have been applied to increase flexibility in producing new vehicle types. The use of 100% automated welding facilities and a new joining technology known as laser brazing ensures world-class quality. Given the nature of the process, the assembly plant has integrated numerous ergonomic technology solutions to consider worker safety and comfort.
Korean GM invested 900 billion won into building this new paint shop and soon plans to launch a new CUV model, a centerpiece of their ambitions. Korean GM has expressed its aspiration to develop the Changwon site into a globally recognized manufacturing facility, leveraging these plans as a stepping stone.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr