Today’s plan was to tour Hyundai Motors in the middle of the day and take a train to Seoul in the evening. To start, I packed all my bags to be sent to Seoul, and then took a bus to Hyundai’s Ulsan factory. The tour at Hyundai consisted of a product showcase and a factory tour, showcasing Hyundai’s smart manufacturing process.
Something I initially found interesting during the factory visit was how there were buildings dedicated to healthcare and food for the workers. The tour guide explained that each worker was provided with food and healthcare during their shifts to ensure wellbeing in safety. Additionally, I found Hyundai’s use of robots impressive, which could move car parts and machinery around to different areas of the factory. Our tour guide shared that Hyundai plans to increase the use of robots and smart machinery in their factories, with the goal of complete automation within a few years. This would increase production speed while decreasing labor costs, increasing Hyundai’s ability to profit and innovate in the transportation industry. Overall, I was very impressed with Hyundai’s goal of incorporating smart technology, and I believe that is how they will succeed as a company in the future.
After the company visit, we spent time on the train to return to Seoul. I spent most of my time on the train working on my class project and writing up the blog posts I missed when I was sick. After the train ride, me and a bunch of others visited the North Seoul Tower. Although it was mostly a tourist trap, I really enjoyed the view from here, as it showed just how large Seoul was. It was also a great spot to take photos and get some Korean souvenirs for my family.
Tomorrow, I’m looking forward to visiting TOPIS and presenting my group project!