Humans and robots find synergy working at Hyundai Card factory
When you think of robots, what comes to mind? Big factory machinery or humanoids from a science fiction movie?
At the Hyundai Card headquarters located in the finance center of Seoul, employees and robots work together to create synergy. As a leading financial technology company, Hyundai Card has continuously increased robots within the work place.
Here are a few examples of a harmonious work place between humans and robots which come in different shapes and sizes. (See video below – Korean language.)
Card factory
As a leading credit card issuer, Hyundai Card operates a Card Factory where all cards are made. While other card issuers usually outsource the making of physical cards, Hyundai Card takes pride in the process and hosts a Card Factory within its HQ building.
The Card Factory is open to members who can apply for cards and pick them up directly. Over 5 million cards are made annual at the Card Factory which is the most visual example of robots and humans working side by side.
There are over 13 robots working as part of the Card Factory team. Once an application is made, an APS (Auto Picking System) selects the requested design and a robot arm guides it the next stop which inputs information.
An overhead transporter transfers the cards to be checked and packed. While machines are focused on the manufacturing, employees are able to focus on the system and check any errors.
Barista robot Billie
Billie is a barista robot located at the Hyundai Card’s Factory Café. Customers place orders of their favorite coffee at a kiosk which activates Billie.
What makes Billie special, is the fact that Billie is not just programmed to make coffee, but through machine learning Billie shadows the skills of Jong Hoon Lee, a World Coffee Championship winner and World Barista Championship finalist.
Since first joining Hyundai Card in the Summer of 2020, Billie has made over 15,000 cups of coffee. Additionally, thanks to Billie, the Factory Café’s employees are able to spend more time connecting with customers.
AI Chatbot Buddy
In 2017, Hyundai Card launched chatbot Buddy via the Hyundai Card APP, a first in the Korean finance industry. Buddy uses natural language processing, a subfield of artificial intelligence which allows the processing and analyzing of large amounts of natural language data, granting Buddy the ability to understand text and spoken words in a way which is similar to human communication.
Additionally in 2019, by further developing NPL, Hyundai Card introduced an artificial intelligence-based counseling service in its customer center. An AI automatic response system listens to card members desired services and immediately provides them with the appropriate counseling.
Robot room
At Hyundai Card HQ, there is a Robot Room which hosts more than 70 different robots. Through robot process automation (RPA) robots and AI systems are programmed to support a majority of standardized repetitive calculations.
Through the robots in the Robot Room, Hyundai Card is able to save more than 22,000 hours each year. With the ability to process large amount of data, robots play a key role in speeding up data processing and providing vital information and solutions to customers in real-time.
A Hyundai Card spokesperson says: “Robots within our work place assist with repetitive calculations and allow employees to focus on more innovative and creative work.
“We find our employees are amenable to working with robots to achieve higher effectiveness. Not to mention, through working with robots on a daily basis, employees are able to experience firsthand Hyundai Card’s corporate identity as a leading technology company within the finance sector.”