Mobis looks to rule markets with modules

A chassis module, the main frame of the car, built by Hyundai Mobis.

Hyundai Mobis, the car parts affiliate of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, is striving to lead the automotive industry’s third revolution in modules, the semi-assembled kits of vehicle components. 

By introducing the modular production in the late 1990s, earlier than its competitors, the Seoul-headquartered outfit has successfully climbed the global ladder. Now it looks to chalk up further growth by concentrating more on modules.

Modules refer to the building blocks of a car. For example, front-end modules include such components as the headlights, radiator, engine-cooling-fan systems, the bumper fascia and beam. 

``The global automotive industry has gone through a pair of revolutionary advances ― mass-production using conveyor belts in the early 20th century and the just-in-time (JIT) process of Toyota,’’ Mobis spokesman Park Se-hwan said. 

``Now, the just-in-sequence (JIS) method based on modules is coming to the fore to lead the industry’s third revolution. Mobis is set to spearhead the paradigm shift.’’

Otherwise dubbed as the “Toyota production system,” JIT has changed the face of the global car business over the past few decades by substantially cutting down on in-process inventory and related carrying costs.