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Hyundai shortens lead times

Hyundai’s parent company, HD Construction Equipment, has established a UK PDI Centre in Southampton Docks, bringing final machine preparation closer to UK dealers and customers. Opened in January 2026, the facility will take fully assembled machines directly from the factory, reducing delivery times to the customer and ensuring that the highest quality standards are maintained.

• Flexible capacity will allow continued Hyundai market growth
• Quality control systems in place to ensure optimum machine condition
• Secure storage facility within Southampton Docks
• Further investment planned as machine numbers increase

All fully assembled Hyundai Construction Equipment machines destined for UK customers will now be delivered directly to the new PDI Centre in Southampton. Unlike the company’s EUCUP facility in Antwerp, where UK equipment has previously been delivered and checked, the Southampton site is positioned within the docks, taking machines directly from the ship, with no requirement for additional truck movement to the facility.

The site will receive complete machines to satisfy existing dealer orders and for stock. Excavators and wheel loaders that are delivered without booms or loader arms, for specific customer builds, will continue to be delivered to the EUCUP facility, where there are stocks of booms and arms to allow further customisation.

“For stock machines, if any option changes are required they will be supplied through EUCUP in Belgium, which has the necessary facilities to handle such modifications,” said Quality Lead - Europe, Gillian Schluter, who is based at the facility in Belgium, but has been working to establish the UK PDI Centre.

“In the future, if option changes need to be handled at the PDI Centre, the necessary facilities will be installed to proceed with option change works.”

Operated by long-time international parter Wallenius Wilhelmsen, machines are received at the facility and power washed to remove any salt and dirt that may have been picked up in transportation. A larger wash bay is already being planned to cope with Hyundai’s growing range of equipment.

Once cleaned, every machine is inspected in detail, with up to 100 photographs taken and stored on a system that can be accessed at any time by Hyundai. The company operates with one inspector per machine, to ensure continuity throughout the process. Any damage to paintwork, or corrosion caused during shipping, is noted and repaired. The facility can handle full panel resprays and it holds decal sets for Hyundai machinery, to replace anything that may have been damaged.

All canopied machines are stored under cover, along with many of the smaller cabbed models and here too the company is investing in extensions to the covered area. Stock machines undergo regular checks, to maintain batteries and to prevent damage to hydraulic cylinders.

The site has a six-bay workshop, capable of handling any of Hyundai’s machines. Additional lighting around the machines ensures that every scratch or defect can be located and rectified. Again, digital photographs are taken at each stage of the process, to ensure quality standards.

“Everything is done digitally,” said Mr Schluter. “We can track everything back through photographs. We even take photographs of the machines when they are being transported from the site on trucks, to show that they have been lashed down correctly.”

Along with cosmetic inspections, all machine functionality is tested and specifications are checked against order documentation. The facility has warehousing on site for components and, although modifications and customisation are not currently available, the company is looking to extend that service in the future.

Once all checks have been completed by the operative, a quality controller then carries out a secondary check, again backed by digital photography, before a shipping sticker is applied and the machine parked ready for transportation. While the majority of mini and midi excavators are shipped without buckets and attachments, larger wheel loader can have buckets attached. With all checks completed, booms, arms and buckets are positioned on wooden blocks, to prevent any damage to paintwork on the underside during storage.

“The machine needs to be in perfect condition,” said Mr Schluter. “We have had no transportation claims from dealers since moving to this facility.”

Equipment is shipped directly to the supplying dealer, for individual livery, buckets and other attachments, with any updates to meet individual customer order requirements.

“Dealers remain essential for customer handover, final checks and aftercare support,” he added. “However, having the PDI completed at the UK centre significantly reduces the dealer workload and speeds up final delivery.”

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