HYUNDAI’S parent company, HD Construction Equipment, has opened a PDI Centre in Southampton Docks, bringing final machine preparation closer to UK dealers and customers.
The facility will take fully assembled machines directly from the factory, reducing delivery times and ensuring quality control systems are in place to ensure ‘optimum’ machine condition.
All fully assembled Hyundai Construction Equipment machines destined for UK customers will be delivered directly to the new PDI Centre. Unlike the company’s EUCUP facility in Antwerp, where UK equipment has previously been delivered and checked, the Southampton site is positioned within the docks, taking machines directly from the ship, with no requirement for additional truck movement to the facility.
The site will receive complete machines to satisfy existing dealer orders and for stock. Excavators and wheel loaders that are delivered without booms or loader arms, for specific customer builds, will continue to be delivered to the EUCUP facility, where there are stocks of booms and arms to allow further customisation.
Operated by international parter Wallenius Wilhelmsen, machines are received at the facility and power washed to remove any salt and dirt that may have been picked up in transportation. A larger wash bay is already being planned to cope with Hyundai’s growing range of equipment.
Once cleaned, every machine is inspected in detail, with up to 100 photographs taken and stored on a system that can be accessed at any time by Hyundai. The company operates with one inspector per machine, to ensure continuity throughout the process. Any damage to paintwork, or corrosion caused during shipping, is noted and repaired. The facility can handle full panel resprays and holds decal sets for Hyundai machinery, to replace anything that may have been damaged.
Along with cosmetic inspections, all machine functionality is tested and specifications are checked against order documentation. The facility has warehousing on site for components and, although modifications and customisation are not currently available, the company is looking to extend that service in the future.
Once all checks have been completed by the operative, a quality controller carries out a secondary check, again backed by digital photography, before a shipping sticker is applied and the machine parked ready for transportation.
Equipment is shipped directly to the supplying dealer, for individual livery, buckets and other attachments, with any updates to meet individual customer order requirements.
