INDUSTRY INSIDER | December 5, 2024

HD Hyundai Unveils Equipment for Smarter Construction Sites

Original Source:Korea Times

HD Hyundai XiteSolution's engineers remotely control miniatures of the company's heavy machines during the CONEX Korea International Construction Equipment Exhibition at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Park Jae-hyuk

GOYANG, Gyeonggi Province — Remote-controlled miniatures of HD Hyundai XiteSolution’s heavy machines excavated and moved dirt at the center stage of an exhibition hall at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Provincea, as if they were terraforming Mars!

The demonstration showed the potential use of the company’s equipment for humanity’s pioneering explorations of the moon and Mars, all controlled remotely from Earth, according to an employee of the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai’s construction machinery business at the CONEX Korea International Construction Equipment Exhibition.

Next to the demonstration site were the exhibition booths of HD Hyundai XiteSolution’s two subsidiaries — HD Hyundai Construction Equipment and HD Hyundai Infracore.

They filled the four-day trade show’s venue with their mega-sized machines, as well as futuristic equipment for safer and more eco-friendly construction sites.

“We also displayed our machines at the booths of our suppliers to show how their components are used (in) our products,” an HD Hyundai XiteSolution spokesperson told reporters on the first day of the event.

The largest construction equipment exhibition in Korea came three years since it was previously held in 2021. Construction equipment firms introduce their latest products and technologies at the event.

Under the theme of safety, productivity and sustainability, HD Hyundai XiteSolution introduced technologies for its “Xite Transformation” vision, which was presented by HD Hyundai Vice Chairman and CEO Chung Ki-sun during the CES 2024 tech show in Las Vegas earlier this year.

HD Hyundai Infracore’s heavy machines are on display at its exhibition booth at the CONEX Korea International Construction Equipment Exhibition at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Courtesy of HD Hyundai XiteSolution

At HD Hyundai Construction Equipment’s booth featuring its yellow machines, the company showcased the Hyundai Connect mobile app, which allows its customers to diagnose their machines with smartphones, and also ask for after-sales services.

The HX20E, the company’s first electric excavator, is also displayed at the booth, along with the newest equipment customized for Korean construction sites.

Additionally, HD Hyundai Construction Equipment introduced its collaborations with tech firms.

“We worked together with KT to protect underground cables during excavation work,” an HD Hyundai Construction Equipment employee said. “In cooperation with Google Cloud, we’re running a call center based on artificial intelligence.”

HD Hyundai Infracore, which filled its booth with orange-colored machines labeled Develon, exhibited miniatures of futuristic excavators, dumper trucks and dozers, all of which are cabinless.

The nation’s only dozer manufacturer showcased its latest dozer along with a mini-size excavator for Korean farmers, which will be released early next year.

An HD Hyundai CE employee introduces a toy excavator, wheel loader and dumper truck at the booth

Virtual reality and augmented reality equipment used at HD Hyundai’s headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, were also installed at HD Hyundai Infracore’s booth for visitors to learn more about how to control construction equipment.

“Construction equipment can be a solution for the sustainability of human beings,” an HD Hyundai XiteSolution official said. “We tried to make the general public find connections between their everyday lives and the construction equipment industry.”

Both HD Hyundai XiteSolution subsidiaries opened separate zones for children and teenagers to better enjoy the event.

HD Hyundai Construction Equipment brought a transformable toy excavator, dumper truck and wheel loader to its booth. The firm also invited Ulsan HD FC forward Um Won-sang to sign autographs for football fans at the convention.

HD Hyundai Infracore allowed children to control a full-scale excavator to scoop up balls from a ball pool. The company also installed a playground at its booth so children could ride on mock-up machines.