As the Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia plant continues to gear up for a November production launch, employees from the West Point plant are being sent to South Korea for training.
“They are in full production, where we are in training,” said Randy Jackson, Kia Georgia’s director of human resources and administration. “They are seeing a live show there, where they are still building and tearing down here.”
There are currently 86 employees at the company’s research and development center in Namyang, South Korea. Half of them have been there for a week, and the rest left Monday, Jackson said. More than 350 of the company’s 1,000 Georgia employees have made the 15-hour flight to be trained at Kia’s home base.
It has proved helpful, two of the employees said in a prepared statement from the company. James Yates of Columbus works in the Georgia plant’s general assembly shop. “The training has been very professional and thorough,” Yates said. “This has been a good experience and we are all learning a lot.” Angela Smith of Griffin, Ga., also works in general assembly. “The training has been such a good learning experience,” she said. “Without this opportunity, I would have never had the chance for this level of hands-on training and experience.” That’s the key, Jackson said.
“They are spending time with their peers, learning how to do their jobs at full production and full speed,” Jackson said.
While it is costly to send large numbers of employees to South Korea, it is an investment worth making, Jackson said.
“This training, in addition to the training each team member receives at the Kia Georgia Training Center and inside the KMMG facility, will pay huge dividends for this company,” Jackson said. “It is great to see the level of commitment our team members have toward producing a world-class vehicle here in West Point.”
The Namyang Research and Development Center is a cutting-edge facility that encompasses the whole design process, from pre-design studies, prototyping and full-scale aerodynamic testing to crash testing along the extensive onsite test track, according to the company’s release.
Kia announced last week that the 2011 model Sorento crossover utility vehicle will be the first vehicle assembled in Georgia. The company is gearing up to have 1,250 employees in place when production begins.
Kia officials expect to have more than 2,500 employees by the middle of next year.
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