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| Primary school students take part in a hands-on experiment during a Hyundai Mobis junior engineering class in Beijing, in this June file photo. The world's sixth-largest parts maker has been offering the science classes as part of its corporate social responsibility activities overseas. / Courtesy of Hyundai Mobis |
By Park Jin-hai
Hyundai Mobis is stepping up its efforts to bring corporate social responsibility (CSR) beyond its national borders.
Since 2010, Hyundai Mobis' CSR activities have centered on the "four movements." The Safe Movement hands out transparent umbrellas to reduce child traffic accidents, while the Green Movement aims to create more green areas. Through the Happy Movement, it runs child engineering classes. From 2014, it has also included the Easy Movement to support transportation for disabled children.
The world's sixth-largest parts maker is now actively transferring its activities to other nations, aiming to contribute to resolving social issues across its global market.
"We have already been engaged in many charity activities including forming aid funds for disaster stricken regions and donating second-hand products for the needy. But the ‘four movements' provide the format through which we conduct CSR activities more systematically," said a Hyundai Mobis spokesperson.
In China, where some 10,000 children are killed by traffic accidents every year, Hyundai Mobis holds a campaign for children's traffic safety during which the company distributes transparent umbrellas.
The umbrellas, which are trimmed in light-reflecting material for better visibility on rainy nights, are also equipped with an emergency whistle.
The campaign, which started here in 2010 with 100,000 umbrellas, has now spread to China. In June of last year, the company distributed 25,000 umbrellas in the Jiangsu and Beijing regions.
In May, the company handed out 15,000 umbrellas in Beijing. It plans to give a total 27,000 umbrellas in other regions of China this year.
Hyundai Mobis is also holding junior engineering classes in China.
Beginning with the Jiangsu region last year, the campaign this year expanded into Beijing.
"Chinese parents are highly interested in education, paying a great deal of money for a better education for their children. The demand for quality education in science is particularly high since engineers receive better paychecks," said the official, explaining why the company started the junior engineering classes there.
In June, some 160 primary school students in Beijing participated in the classes. The company will hold three additional educational sessions there in the latter half of this year, while six others are scheduled for next year.
Some 30 Beijing Jiaotong University students worked as voluntary teachers for the classes this year, where children made solar-powered cars that stop when faced with obstacles.
Last year, some 10 Yancheng Engineering University students worked as voluntary teachers.
"By having talented university students as teachers, we can also raise our brand value among the future leaders in China," added the official.
The Korean auto parts giant plans to expand its science program to other parts of China and into Europe as well.
Hyundai Mobis elevated its position to become the sixth-largest parts maker in the world in terms of sales last year. It runs 27 overseas branches globally and is currently building new plants in China, Mexico and the Czech Republic.
As of the end of 2014, its overseas staff reached 5,000, about 64 percent of its total employees.
