Hyundai opens up for Undercover Boss

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16 July 2013

Hyundai UK finance director Ray Pope took part in Channel 4’s Undercover Boss in order to discover if the company has the infrastructure in place to continue its rapid growth in the UK.

The Korean brand is looking to grow the business by 25% in the next two years.

Pope said on the show: “The business has expanded at a phenomenal rate and there are two dangers from that.

“Is the business coping or are there cracks out there and how do we take the business forward from here? Are we keeping pace or are we creaking with the volume?

“I know I’m going to find out some things that I didn’t expect. If I see something that’s going wrong in the business, I’ll be passionate in putting it right.”

Pope went undercover at Tilbury docks, the import hub for all of Hyundai’s cars and at a Hyundai dealership in the workshop, service bay and sales departments.

The programme can be viewed again on 4OD and commentary on the programme can be found across Twitter by searching for #undercoverboss.

Hyundai Motor UK

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Shedloads - 16/07/2013 11:17

What a nightmare programme for HMUK! Their PR people have clearly made a pact to commit hari kari. What were they thinking of? Here's a brand with seemingly everything to play for and they let the CEO send some faceless accountant out to discover what he surely already knew....that faceless accountants from motor HQs are the cause of most of the motor trade's issues. Suffice it to say I won't be buying an Hyundai after seeing what a penny pinching, tuppence ha'ppeny operation HMUK really is! The car valeter came across as the most intelligent and switched on individual in the whole piece.
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Ling Valentine - 17/07/2013 10:12

I'm on the sharp end of suffering the "lost car" syndrome, as dealers and customers are often frustrated by the lack of info about delayed cars at the docks and I'm always having to explain "sorry, they are unsure of your car's status". How on earth was the Hyundai "systems guy" unaware that he ran overworked weekly-contract agency staff out of a single shipping container at Tilbury docks? Do the managers do NOTHING in real life? These management people should be fired, and replaced by people who can actually do the job. At every stage... training, workshop overbooking, valeting scheduling, logistics... this accountant acted surprised that every decision he made in the boardroom was a disaster in practice. The staff were generally heroic, the management, sh1t. How on earth can a company like Hyundai UK get this so wrong? It should be very ashamed. Ling
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CGH - 17/07/2013 12:55

Frankly, the dealerships involved didn't come out of this with much credit either. Their staff, systems and facilities seemed like throwbacks to the 70's. Wonder how the programme researchers come to choose them?
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Shedloads - 17/07/2013 16:42

Time for a clear our at HMUK methinks. Bring in some new blood. You need talented people like Ling who can really take the business forward. The current line up at HMUK did ok in the old days when they were selling a handful of cars a year, but don't think they're up to the job now. Wouldn't surprise me if Kia were in the same predicament.
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