Robotic arms assemble molded case circuit breakers on an automated production line at HD Hyundai Electric’s Cheongju Power Distribution Campus in North Chungcheong Province. Courtesy of HD Hyundai Electric
CHEONGJU, North Chungcheong Province — HD Hyundai Electric has expanded its production capacity for power distribution equipment by 70 percent with the recent launch of its automated Cheongju power distribution campus, as the company bets on capturing surging global demand from artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and power‑infrastructure investment.
The 116.1 billion won ($75.5 million) Cheongju campus in North Chungcheong Province, which was completed last November, consolidates manufacturing, engineering and logistics functions that had previously been spread across three facilities.
The campus produces more than 50,000 types of low and medium-voltage circuit breakers, ranging from air circuit breakers (ACB) and vacuum circuit breakers (VCB) used in power plants and industrial facilities to molded case circuit breakers (MCCB) widely installed in residential and commercial buildings.
The facility automates logistics from material receiving and warehousing to production and shipping through a network of 12 autonomous mobile robots, 10 autonomous case-handling robots and 20 logistics shuttles.
Automated case-handling robots store materials and finished products in high-bay racks at HD Hyundai Electric’s Cheongju Power Distribution Campus in North Chungcheong Province. Courtesy of HD Hyundai Electric
Automation rates reached 95 percent for manufacturing MCCBs and magnetic contactors and 65 percent for larger medium-voltage equipment, ACBs and VCBs, for which production involves more customized processes.
The new plant has lifted annual production capacity from 5 million units to 8.5 million, while overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) has risen to about 75 percent from 58 percent. The company aims to push OEE to around 90 percent and expand annual capacity to 13 million units by 2030.
The expansion comes as utilities, hyperscale data center operators and semiconductor manufacturers accelerate investment in electrical infrastructure to support AI-driven power demand.
“While replacement demand for aging infrastructure has led the U.S. market in the past, demand for AI-related electricity began to surge in earnest this year," Lee Chang-ho, the company’s executive vice president, said during a media briefing at the campus on Thursday.
Source: Korea Times News
