HD Hyundai Construction Equipment, HD Hyundai Infracore open merged U.S. facility

HD Hyundai Construction Equipment and HD Hyundai Infracore merged their facilities in Georgia in hopes of streamlining production and logistics for U.S. clients.

Mike Ross, senior vice president of HD Hyundai Construction Equipment North America, fourth from left in the front, poses with Moon Jae-young, chief sales officer and vice president of HD Hyundai Construction Equipment; Tommy Sidener, general manager at Wallenius Wilhelmsen; Mike Rye, senior vice president; HD Hyundai XiteSolution President Cho Young-cheul; John Felitto, chief operating officer at Wallenius Wilhelmsen; Park Chan-hyuk, vice president of HD Hyundai XiteSolution; Jeong Kwan-hee, managing director at HD Hyundai Infracore North America and other executives at the opening ceremony of an integrated customization center in Georgia on Wednesday. [HD HYUNDAI XITESOLUTION]

HD Hyundai Construction Equipment and HD Hyundai Infracore opened a customization center in the U.S. state of Georgia on Friday, aiming to widen its market appeal in the country.

The center, spanning 41,300 square meters (444,549 square feet), came about through a merger of two existing factories each operated by the two construction machinery units of HD Hyundai XiteSolution. Located near Brunswick Port, the second-largest handler of roll-on/roll-off ships in the United States, its establishment is expected to reduce logistics costs and cut delivery times.

The facility is crucial because it finalizes unfinished products manufactured in Korea, customizing them locally to meet customer specifications.

HD Hyundai believes the consolidation of assembly and production lines will create synergy between its two affiliates, allowing them to better align with market demand and ensure timely product delivery.

The center will also function as a strategic base for cross-selling products from both companies, with the aim of increasing their market shares in North America.

HD Hyundai XiteSolution President Cho Young-cheul, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Chief Operating Officer John Felitto and other executives from logistics and Brunswick Port attended the center’s opening ceremony on Wednesday.

“The establishment of the customization center will be a key milestone in our strategy to penetrate the North American market,” Cho said. “By leveraging the synergy between the two companies, we aim to maximize efficiency in terms of product quality, delivery times and costs, accelerating our advancement to a top tier position in advanced markets.”

The North American construction machinery market is projected to grow 6 percent annually to reach $40 billion by 2028, according to market tracker BlueWeave Consulting.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]