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Hyundai halts some assembly lines in S. Korea on parts shortage

June 10, 2021 - 14:47 By Yonhap

Hyundai Motor Co.'s Asan factory, 100 kilometers south of Seoul, is seen in this photo taken on April 13, 2021. (Yonhap)
Hyundai Motor Co. said Thursday it has suspended some assembly lines of its mainstay plants here due to parts supply disruptions following COVID-19 infections at a key parts supplier.

Hyundai Motor suspended four out of five plants in Ulsan, 414 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Thursday afternoon due to lack of auto components from Hyundai Mobis Co., a company spokesman said over the phone.

"Several Hyundai Mobis workers were infected with COVID-19, and disrupted supplies of cockpit modules resulted in the plants' suspension," he said.

The company expects the resumption of parts supplies from Hyundai Mobis once health authorities complete quarantine measures at the parts plant.

Currently, Hyundai's No. 1, No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5 plants are suspended, and the No. 3 plant, which produces the Avante compact and the Venue subcompact, is in operation.

Last month, Hyundai halted its Indian plant for five days starting May 25, as two workers in the Tamil Nadu plant were infected with COVID-19 and several workers staged a sit-in at the plant on May 24 amid rising virus fears among workers.

Hyundai's other overseas plants are in operation despite the ongoing global chip shortage.

On the domestic front, Hyundai has temporarily halted some of its domestic plants in recent weeks due to semiconductor shortages.

Hyundai has seven domestic plants -- five in Ulsan, one in Asan and one in Jeonju -- and 10 overseas plants -- four in China and one each in the United States, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Russia, India and Brazil. Their combined capacity reaches 5.5 million vehicles. (Yonhap)