Hyundai’s COVID strategy — Transmission

How the automaker survived through lockdowns and shortages

(Photo: FreightWaves)

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Hyundai’s production plant in Alabama is getting ready to produce the brand’s first open-bed vehicle: the Santa Cruz pickup. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to shift the production line to account for a new vehicle.

Some of those steps include keeping tabs on coronavirus safety protocols on-site and communicating with suppliers about delays.

Grace Sharkey and Sebastian Blanco talk to Robert Burns, vice president and chief administrative officer at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, about how the company and the plant have adjusted during this time and why the inclusion of the pickup in its line shows growth opportunities for the future. 

You can find more Transmission episodes and recaps for all our live podcasts here.

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Kaylee Nix is a meteorologist and reporter for FreightWaves. She joined the company in November of 2020 after spending two years as a broadcast meteorologist for a local television channel in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Kaylee graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2018 and immediately made the Tennessee Valley her home. Kaylee creates written summaries of FreightWaves live podcasts and cultivates the social media for FreightWaves TV.