Gerald Johnson, GM’s Vice President of Global Manufacturing, visited GM’s Bupyeong and Changwon plants on the 24th and 25th, highlighting the importance of thorough quality management and seamless production and supply in the context of the unprecedented global demand for the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Trax crossover.
This visit marks Johnson’s first overseas trip of the year, aiming to emphasize the significance of the Korean operations that produce key products in the small crossover and SUV segment within GM’s global vehicle portfolio and to commend the hard work of GM Korea’s employees, who contributed to the company’s global success.
During his visits to the Bupyeong plant on the 24th and Changwon plant on the 25th, Johnson carefully examined the equipment and technologies aimed at maintaining the highest quality for the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Trax crossovers and enhancing productivity. At the Bupyeong plant, he reviewed the latest installations designed to prevent worker injuries and improve the competitiveness of the assembly process, confirming the superb production quality and worker safety environment firsthand.
At the site, Johnson expressed to GM Korea’s employees, “The Trax crossover and Trailblazer play a crucial role in GM’s core business strategy this year, which includes profitable internal combustion engine portfolio growth alongside electrification. The global demand for these strategic products produced at GM Korea is strong, and I thank all the teams in Korea for their commitment to seamless production and supply based on excellent quality management.”
Hector Bejarano, President of GM Korea, noted, “The Trailblazer and Trax crossover ranked first and fourth, respectively, in Korea’s passenger car export market last year, contributing significantly to the development of both GM Korea and the automotive industry in South Korea. GM Korea plans to maximize its production capacity of 500,000 units this year as well, to effectively respond to explosive global demand and to further strengthen the sustainability of its Korean operations.”
At the Bupyeong plant, which was the first site on Johnson’s tour, models including the Trailblazer (including derivative models) and Trax crossover are currently being produced. The Bupyeong plant recently received high marks in GM’s Global Manufacturing System’s BIQ (Built In Quality) assessment, particularly in problem-solving capabilities, processes, and evaluation systems, achieving the BIQ Level 4, which signifies that ‘defects do not leave the process,’ thus demonstrating the plant’s global manufacturing quality competitiveness.
The remarkable global popularity of the Trailblazer, which achieved the top position in South Korea’s passenger car exports for 2023, is also a testament to the outstanding product competitiveness based on the excellent quality management that the Bupyeong plant possesses.
Continuing his visit, Johnson reached the GM Changwon plant, which has recently undergone a large-scale investment of approximately 900 billion won, applying GM’s latest global standard technologies. With ergonomic process design and automation of key processes, the plant has secured efficiency and flexibility to produce 60 units per hour, achieving outstanding manufacturing quality. In the last year, the Changwon plant supplied a total of 204,910 Trax crossovers to the global market and is currently maximizing its operating rates to meet the explosive global demand for the Trax crossover, continuing its upward trend by supplying a record 25,968 units in December since its launch.
Meanwhile, GM Korea recorded total sales of 468,059 units (based on completed vehicles) in 2023, marking a remarkable increase of 76.6% compared to the previous year and achieving the highest annual sales volume since 2017.
To continue this growth trend, GM plans to maximize its production capacity of 500,000 units this year as well, solidifying its firm position in the global small crossover and SUV segment.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr