Testament to GM's Will to Continue Business in Korea
GM Korea will build a new painting factory for the next-generation cars for the world market at its factory in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. Starting with this, the automaker will invest a total of US$750 million to overhaul the outdated production lines of the Changwon plant.
The newly-built painting factory will be able to paint 60 vehicles per hour and up to 280,000 units on an annual basis. The plant will be loaded with state-of-the-art technology to enhance product quality. Its production lines will be fully automated and be equipped with environment-friendly facilities.
The new plant is part of GM Korea's future plan finalized last year. The company’s parent in the United States announced a plan to produce two next-generation models and conduct R&D activities for them in Korea. Accordingly, the Changwon plant will produce crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) beginning at the end of 2022. Currently, the Changwon plant produces light vehicles such as the Spark, the Damas, and the Labo, so the construction of new facilities is inevitable.
"The construction of the new painting plant in the Changwon factory is testament to GM's strong commitment to continue its business in Korea," said Kaher Kazem, president of GM Korea, in a congratulatory message read by Kim Seon-hong, general manager of GM Korea’s Changwon plant. Kazem could not attend the groundbreaking ceremony because of increment weather.