Five labs under Hyundai, Kia’s Namyang R&D Center win safety certification

[Courtesy of Hyundai Motor]

South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. have achieved recognition for their safety management capabilities from the South Korean government.

In a recent evaluation for safety management conducted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, new safety certifications have been granted to five research labs under Namyang R&D Center managed by Hyundai Motor and Kia, the ministry said on Monday.

The research labs that received the recognition include three within the Eco-Friendly Commercial Vehicle Research Institute of Namyang R&D Center, along with two others at the Basic Materials Research Center.

Hyundai Motor and Kia now boast a total of seven government-approved safety management research facilities.

The certified research facilities at Eco-Friendly Commercial Vehicle Research Institute include the Commercial Chassis Dynamo Lab, Commercial Environmental Wind Tunnel Lab, Commercial Environmental Test Workshop Lab, Rust Prevention Lab, and Paint Adhesion Test Lab.

The government evaluation recognized the facilities for their high standards in various aspects, such as explosion prevention equipment, fire control processes, and accident prevention systems.

The research facilities at the Basic Materials Research Center received certification for their systems, which allow the safe storage of over 100 different types of chemicals and the continuous disposal of waste chemicals produced by the analysis equipment.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has implemented the safety certification program to enhance safety management capabilities of domestic scientific and research labs and to promote the development and dissemination of safety management standard models.

The certification is valid for two years and requires re-evaluation upon expiration.

Hyundai Motor and Kia plan to take advantage of this certification to implement customized safety management systems in their research processes, particularly in the areas of next-generation technologies such as batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, and electrification.