INVESTOŘI V MSK

Key South Korean Investment

in the Moravian-Silesian Region

The car manufacturer Hyundai started production in Nošovice in November 2008 and has so far

produced over 3.5 million cars. With more than 3,000 employees, it has a production capacity of

up to 1,400 cars per day and more than 300,000 cars per year. The Tucson, i30 and Kona Electric

models are sold in more than seventy countries on five continents.

What was the initial impulse that supported the

decision to build a branch in the Moravian-Silesian

Region, specifically in Nošovice?

There are several reasons why Hyundai chose Nošovice

for its expansion into Europe. An important role was

certainly played by the fact that, two years earlier, the

construction of the plant of the sister brand KIA began

near Žilina, with which we share important suppliers, to

whom we supply gearboxes and from whom we import

engines. The investment incentives provided by the

Government of the Czech Republic and the MoravianSilesian Region and the industrial background and history

of the region, including densely populated areas and

a well-accessible and skilled workforce, certainly played

a significant role.

Petr Michník

joined HMMC in 2006 as a lawyer.

He became Head of the Legal

Department in 2010 and since 2020

he has also headed the External

Relations Department. In 2021, he was

appointed head of the administrative

subdivision.

The company is considered one of the most modern

cars in Europe. Can you say what the success of

a company like Hyundai Motor Manufacturing

Czech is?

The success of our company is inseparable from the

success of the entire Hyundai brand. In Nošovice, we

benefit mainly from its global background, which is

extremely strong, for example, in the field of research

and development. Thanks to the long-term experience

of our parent company with alternative drives such as

electricity and hydrogen, in March 2020 we were able

to become the first car manufacturer in the Czech

Republic to start serial production of electric cars.

However, the global network of suppliers and the

cooperation of all the group‘s plants around the world

are also important. Thanks to this, we can both optimally

use our production capacity and efficiently solve supply.

This is significantly reflected, for example, in solving the

shortage of semiconductor components, when, thanks

to incredibly intensive cooperation with suppliers, we

were able to maintain functioning production even at

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a time when other car manufacturers were approaching

a full cessation of production and canceled shifts. We

repay the benefits of our parent company‘s strong

brand by staying in first place within the group in terms

of profitability, productivity and quality for a long time.

I am convinced that this success is primarily due to the

talent and work of our employees, whom we value very

much. Among other things, we like to brag that our

people are increasingly involved in the development

of new cars—recently, since the first drawings. This also

makes us unique among the brand‘s other production

plants, of which there are fifteen around the world.

The topic of the green future and sustainability

resonates strongly with the company. What specific

ecological steps have you implemented?

You are right and it is not just a question of recent years.

Even during the construction of the plant we transplanted

a thousand mature trees that would otherwise have been

felled for construction and found new places in various

parts of the area where, together with thousands of other

newly planted trees and shrubs, they create not only

a favorable environment for employees but also great

conditions for the development of biodiversity. We limit

the cutting of grass on a large part of the green areas,

which contributes to the presence of many species of

animals, including protected species. But we also take

care of the plant‘s surroundings—this year we started

cooperation with ČSOP Salamandr and we support

the renewal of the diversity of meadows in the Beskid

Mountains, both financially and through the volunteer

work of our employees. We also support the environment

through the Hyundai Endowment Fund and many smaller

local activities. Our production technologies have top

parameters not only in terms of quality and automation

but also in terms of emissions. Nevertheless, we are

constantly working on improving them. For example,

next year we will be the first plant of the Hyundai group

to use electricity exclusively from renewable sources.

What are your goals for 2022?

In 2020, we completely modernized our product

line—we introduced the new Tucson, the electric Kona

and the i30 model, including the i30 N sports variant,

underwent a facelift. Now and next year we can

therefore benefit from the great interest of customers

in these innovations and we expect a further increase

in production. Of course, it also depends on how the

current complicated semiconductor supply situation

that plagues the auto industry around the world

develops.