Company more than doubles partner fund, pledges joint overseas expansion
Hyundai Rotem held the "2026 Hyundai Rotem Rail Solution Co-Growth Conference" at its Changwon factory in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday, announcing a strategy to expand financial support for partner companies and pursue joint overseas market entry.
The event, organized to strengthen a sustainable growth foundation with partner firms and foster an innovative rail industry ecosystem, drew local lawmakers, representatives from 50 partner companies, and Hyundai Rotem executives.
In his welcoming remarks, Hyundai Rotem President and CEO Lee Yong-bae said the company and its partners had achieved meaningful milestones — including the country's first high-speed rail export and entry into Vietnam's metro market. "To establish ourselves as a global railway powerhouse, every member of the rail industry must unite as one community of shared destiny," he said. He added that the conference was "a venue to elevate the competitiveness of South Korea's rail ecosystem and unveil a co-innovation strategy to be carried out together with our partners."
To promote a virtuous cycle within the domestic rail ecosystem, Hyundai Rotem will more than double its co-growth fund — from the existing 70 billion won (about $45.8 million) to a total of 150 billion won this year — to help partner companies benefit from reduced interest rates.
The company also signed mutual-growth finance agreements with Shinhan Bank and the Export-Import Bank of Korea to provide trade finance, guarantees, and preferential interest rates in support of global market expansion. Annual research and development investment, previously averaging around 28 billion won, will be sharply increased to 86 billion won to help stimulate the domestic market.
Hyundai Rotem has also been working to strengthen the global technological competitiveness of its partners. The company has already taken partner firms into overseas markets — localizing mechanical equipment for a rolling stock supply project in Queensland, Australia, and localizing electrical components for the Los Angeles Metro project in the United States.
Since developing its first power-concentrated high-speed vehicle in 1996, Hyundai Rotem has built expertise in high-speed rolling stock through sustained technological collaboration with partner companies. The company plans to actively support joint global growth with those partners in upcoming overseas projects as well.
Hyundai Rotem will also expand employee education programs for partner firms through its in-house technical training institute. The institute offers tailored training covering quality control, production, and design, as well as AI applications and workflow automation to meet the demands of a rapidly changing industrial environment. More than 6,500 partner company employees are expected to receive training this year.
The company is also focusing on strengthening technology protection for its partners. In addition to providing security licenses free of charge to help partners build their own security frameworks, Hyundai Rotem will offer specialized consulting that includes proprietary technology security assessments and improvement recommendations.
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