Kia PBV Conversion Operations Team Takes Responsibility for Customized Vehicle Production and Quality

As Kia's Purpose Built Vehicle (PBV) business enters full swing, the importance of the 'Conversion' process, which modifies vehicles to meet customer needs, is growing. In the past, customers had to personally seek out separate specialty vehicle manufacturers after purchasing a base vehicle, but now a system has been established through the 'Conversion Center' built by Kia to provide everything from production to quality management in a single package.

The work sites of the Kia PBV Conversion Operations Team, revealed by Hyundai Motor Group (HYUNDAI), capture the processes of the practitioners leading this change. The Conversion Operations Team contemplates how to create customized models and performs roles such as integrated management of production, quality, IT contracts, and safety facilities to support Kia in directly handing over conversion models to customers.

"From the era of searching for specialty vehicle companies to an integrated factory era"

The Kia PBV Conversion Operations Team has integrated the existing fragmented specialty vehicle market into a single, intensive factory system. While customers previously faced the inconvenience of having to individually find numerous specialty vehicle companies after purchasing a base vehicle, by establishing a Conversion Center, Kia has created a structure where it directly takes responsibility for production and quality.

The team's work is largely divided into verifying whether the planned quality processes are functioning properly on-site and production management. Currently, mass production of major models such as the Crew Van, Prime model, and Open Bed is underway; base cars produced at the AutoLand Ivo plant are transported to the Conversion Center, undergo incoming inspection, and then enter full-scale conversion work.

Vehicles that have completed the conversion work are delivered to customers after undergoing strict final stages, such as wheel alignment checks and electrical inspections. Quality issues occurring during this process are subject to immediate corrective actions. Regarding recent quality issues with specific models, the team is focusing on securing consistency and reproducibility in quality management, such as proceeding with additional requests for modifications to increase customer satisfaction.

Responding to European exports and quality traceability diagnosis

The team's scope of work is expanding beyond the domestic market to responding to global regulations. Currently, the team is performing tasks to respond to the European regulation PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation). In particular, for the 'Crew Van', the first model to be exported to Europe by the company, the team is supporting entry into the global market by reviewing technical documents for export and collaborating with the certification team to carry out corrective measures in accordance with regulations.

On the practical field, precise quality management based on data is carried out. When a quality problem occurs, a traceability diagnosis plan is established to identify the cause, and schedules and procedures are continuously optimized to increase process efficiency. Senior Manager Lee Seong-hun, along with Manager Ahn Ho-cheol, checks the robustness of the process and conducts on-site inspections in parallel to meet the quality levels that customers can experience.

"The goal is to provide an elegant life to customers through PBV"

The Conversion Operations Team consists of 8 team members who perform their respective duties with clearly defined missions. Team Leader Kim Min-su finds meaning in the process of paving the way by performing this new task of conversion for the first time across the company. The ultimate goal of the team is to go beyond simply producing vehicles and to provide an 'elegant life' to customers worldwide through the value of PBV.

On-site, close collaboration occurs among team members whenever they face challenging tasks. While strict quality standards are applied in terms of work, in terms of team culture, they aim for a structure where colleagues communicate freely and create synergy. Kia plans to strengthen its leadership in the customized mobility market based on these conversion operation capabilities.

Source: original video (YouTube)