Kia Motors has announced the completion of construction on its first manufacturing plant in Latin America in the municipality of Pesquería in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico.
With an initial investment of approximately US$3 billion into the project by Kia Motors and suppliers, the state-of-the-art Kia Motors Mexico plant was constructed in a mere 13 months after breaking ground on the site last October, representing the fastest construction completion of any manufacturing facility in Kia’s history.
Seong-Bae Kim, President of Kia Motors Mexico said, “Thanks to the state-of-the-art technology and manufacturing processes being introduced to the plant, we expect our facility to be one of the most environmentally-friendly automotive manufacturing plants in the region,” Mr. Kim added, “Once mass production commences, it will take less than one minute for a vehicle to come off the assembly line, making our facility among the most productive among all Kia plants globally.”
Kia’s Mexico plant joins the ten other manufacturing facilities in Korea, China, Slovakia, Russia and the USA where Kia vehicles are assembled. 60 per cent of output from the plant will be exported to North America while 20 per cent will supply the Mexican domestic market, and the remaining 20 per cent will be exported to neighbouring countries in Latin America.
Paul Philpott, President and CEO of Kia Motors UK comments “Having this plant in operation is great news for our UK market, as it eases up the pressure on Korean production which will allow for a much greater supply for the UK going forward into the next few years.”
Kia’s presence in Mexico is expected to generate approximately 14,000 direct jobs and 56,000 indirect jobs.
The manufacturing complex features sophisticated production equipment such as a US$75 million stamping press that measures 18 metres high and weighs 3,862 tons, making it the largest of any Kia plant in the world.
In line with Kia Motors’ commitment to developing green production technologies to minimise its environmental impact in all of the regions in which it manufactures vehicles, the plant utilises an advanced monitoring system that promotes continual improvement in energy saving and environmental conservation.
The plant also boasts an integrated water treatment plant which will prevent soil contamination and harmful runoff into the nearby Pesquería River. The plant also uses LED lighting technology to save energy and is expected to introduce various projects to promote the use of alternative energy sources such as solar energy.
