ⓒ hyundai sungwoo Solite

Today, we’ll introduce you to Hyundai Sungwoo Solite, a leader in Korea’s automotive battery market. Let’s hear from Ma Seong-min, deputy head of the company’s public relations team. 

Solite has ranked first in the battery section of “Korean Brand Star” for two consecutive years since last year. The award given to the representative brand in each industry is selected by a corporate brand value rating agency called Brandstock. Solite received high points in brand recognition, preference, reliability, level of satisfaction and purchase intention. Solite’s products boast superior performance and cost-effectiveness that takes customers’ needs into consideration. The company has expanded the spectrum of lead-acid automotive batteries and cut down the costs. This is through constant technological development, contributing to enhancing its brand value. The company has also raised its brand awareness through its own motor racing arm, Indigo Racing Team, which has fared well inside and outside Korea. 

Hyundai Sungwoo Solite has become a byword for automotive batteries. In fact, the company has a profound understanding of automotive parts production. 

Hyundai Sungwoo Solite is rooted in Gyeongwon Industry that was established back in 1979. Since then, it has grown steadily by developing technology and improving product quality. This is to adapt to ever-changing market environments both at home and abroad.

It has supplied products to Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors in Korea and also diversified its markets overseas. It has increased sales in the global automotive aftermarket, in particular, through its worldwide network encompassing the Middle East, Asia, Europe, North America, Central and South America, Africa and Oceania. Solite has established itself as an automotive parts manufacturer under its parent company, Hyundai Sungwoo Group. The head company has other subsidiaries including Hyundai Sungwoo Casting.

Dubbed as the flower of mechanical engineering, an automobile consists of more than 20-thousand components. Without good-quality parts, the automobile industry cannot grow.

Hyundai Sungwoo Solite has built the foundation for automotive parts over the last four decades since its inception. As the central axis of Hyundai Sungwoo Group, it specializes in batteries, which are called the “heart” of automobiles.

The company produces batteries for a wide range of applications for vehicles, industrial use, agricultural machines and ships. For automotive batteries, in particular, it is ignition performance that is the most important element. Solite batteries ensure powerful ignition ability even in extremely cold conditions. Other than its factory in Gyeongju, the company also has its own research center. There, intensive research and development is underway with the purpose of developing future-oriented products and improving performance. Researchers are focusing on enhancing product quality and competitiveness by securing key battery technologies and upgrading production techniques. The company has closely cooperated with its partner firms both in Korea and abroad. It has also invited engineers from overseas, if necessary, to overcome technological limitations. It has increased the output of sought-after products such as AGM batteries to respond to market demands in a more proactive way.

Solite’s greatest competitiveness lies in its constant efforts to develop technology and listen carefully to customers’ opinions.

Solite is considered to be the standard for automotive batteries. It is the largest battery provider for Korea’s top two automakers, namely, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors. More importantly, it has in-depth expertise in batteries.

The company manufactures different types of batteries. Its batteries for vessels, for example, prevent corrosion by seawater and minimize self-discharging. Sealed-type, maintenance-free batteries are for industrial use, while batteries for agricultural vehicles have strong ignition power.

Based on its extensive experience, Solite has supplied top-quality batteries with excellent ignition capability and durability to a variety of vehicles including passenger cars, taxis and agricultural machines. But the company is never satisfied with its achievements. Rather, it continues to take up new challenges. It has secured key technologies and collaborated with its partner firms to obtain 24 technology patents in the battery field. It has been working on new batteries to meet the needs of customers effectively and lead the market successfully.

ⓒ hyundai sungwoo Solite

The Absorbent Glass Mat or AGM battery has increasingly been favored by customers. It shows outstanding durability even at freezing temperatures and lasts twice as long as conventional batteries. In an AGM battery, a separator made of absorbent fiberglass is immersed in the electrolyte. The gas generated in the process of charging and discharging is recombined within the battery itself back into water. The AGM battery is a preferred solution for energy-saving Idle Stop & Go or ISG technology, which can automatically switch the engine off when the car is stopped.

Another product, the Enhanced Flooded Battery or EFB, is a cost-effective option featuring high performance of the AGM battery.

The AGM battery employs cutting-edge battery technology, in which a special separator holds the battery’s acid and prevents it from flowing inside the battery. The internal compression allows for a significantly longer life of the battery, which boasts great recovery from full discharge. It can be applied to state-of-the-art automobile technology such as the ISG system, which is known commonly as Auto Stop. Other than the AGM battery, Solite also provides an economical version of EFB. 

With its newest products, the company is responding to international market trends properly. It dreams of moving beyond the domestic market and becoming a leading global provider of batteries. 

Hyundai Sungwoo Solite has exported its products since the 1980s. Currently, its products are found in various parts of the world. Solite batteries are highly favored in the Middle East and Africa, where the temperatures are unusually high. But they’re also sought after in Russia as well, where the weather is severely cold. We’ll continue to increase sales in response to the rising demand for high-performance, high-value products like AGM and EFB batteries. All manufacturers advocate new businesses and new technologies, but only a few companies actually put the vision into practice. We will not only focus on quantitative growth but also strengthen internal stability and sharpen our competitiveness further. Based on new technologies, we’ll be more responsive to market trends and expand exchanges with global firms. Also, we’ll aggressively make inroads into the automotive aftermarket both in Korea and overseas to grow into a battery manufacturer with a stronger technological edge. 

Hyundai Sungwoo Solite has a corporate philosophy of “Be more careful because these are not visible, be safer because these are not felt.” Since its foundation, the company has walked a single path as a manufacturer of batteries, an indispensable part for vehicles, to prop up Korea’s automobile industry. Now, it is moving to grab leadership in the global battery market.