Vertical: Manufacturing
Application: Autonomous mobile robots, automated guided vehicles, AI vision systems, inventory management drones, component verification, digital command center, automated assembly processes, paint inspection, quality control
Ecosystem: Nokia, Future Technologies
Private Network: 5G
Hyundai Motor Group has officially opened its $7.59 billion electric and hybrid vehicle manufacturing facility in Ellabell, Bryan County, Georgia. The HMG Metaplant America (HMGMA) spans 2,900 acres and represents what the company calls North America’s largest and most advanced smart factory. The facility is designed to produce up to 500,000 vehicles annually by 2031, with current production capacity set at 300,000 vehicles per year.
The plant began construction in October 2022 following a $12.6 billion investment agreement with the State of Georgia signed in May of that year. The first vehicle, a Hyundai IONIQ 5, rolled off the production line in late 2024. The facility currently employs 1,200 workers and is expected to create 8,500 full-time jobs by 2031.
Georgia-based Future Technologies served as the lead system integrator for the facility’s private 5G network, which provides critical connectivity infrastructure for industrial automation and autonomous mobile robots. Nokia supplied the private cellular core and radio access network equipment for the deployment. Peter Cappiello, chief executive at Future Technologies, stated: “Future Technologies has been headquartered out of Georgia for over 25 years. We appreciate the value that this investment by Hyundai Motor Group brings to the local market. We are very proud [of] our contribution to this project as the lead system integrator for the facility’s private 5G solution. Our skilled engineers and technicians designed and delivered the network, providing critical connectivity infrastructure to support industrial automation and autonomous mobile robots.”
The facility incorporates extensive automation throughout its operations. Autonomous mobile robots and automated guided vehicles handle material transport, while unmanned aerial vehicles manage inventory planning and storage. AI vision systems are deployed across multiple production stages, including verifying component assemblies through a “One-Kit” system, detecting holes and cracks in panels, aligning metal sheets, and guiding precise positioning of automatic loading systems.
A digital command center integrates and digitizes production data across the facility. The body shop features automation rates nearly double those of Hyundai’s other facilities globally. The press shop utilizes smart systems that control power and speed for optimal metal forming. A Robot Main Buck system integrates robots with vision technology for precise positioning during assembly.
Quality control processes are heavily automated with AI vision systems performing final inspections of paint jobs and specialized systems handling everything from electrocoating to waterproofing and soundproofing applications. The facility claims several world-first implementations, including an autonomous adjustment system for vehicle door gaps, a metal finish line flow-type AGV designed as a collaborative workspace, and an automated door installation system.
The facility will produce electric and hybrid vehicles for the US market. Current production includes the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and the recently launched IONIQ 9 electric SUV. Kia models are scheduled to begin production in 2026, followed by Genesis models in subsequent years. The plant is based on Hyundai’s Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICS), though scaled for significantly higher production volumes.
HMGMA is part of a broader $20.5 billion investment Hyundai has made in US manufacturing operations, which the company states has created 570,000 jobs. An additional $21 billion investment has been committed through 2031. This includes expanding HMGMA’s capacity from 300,000 to 500,000 vehicles annually and constructing a $5.8 billion electric arc furnace steel mill in Louisiana that will supply automotive steel plates to the Georgia facility when commercial production begins in 2029.
The Georgia investment also encompasses a joint battery venture at HMGMA with LG Energy Solution and SK On, representing the largest single investment in the state’s history. Hyundai plans to increase its total US annual production capacity to 1.2 million vehicles by 2028, with additional smart manufacturing upgrades planned for its existing Alabama and Georgia facilities.
