Hyundai doesn’t make machine tools any more. In 2025 it sold the business, which now runs on its own as WIA Machine Tools Corp. If you’re quoting a “Hyundai” lathe or machining centre today, you’re buying from that new company.

Compumachine sold Hyundai machines in New England for about thirty years, and from 2008 we were Hyundai WIA’s exclusive New England distributor. That ended in April 2026. We sell machines that compete with WIA now, so take that into account. Below are the facts as public sources report them, so you can judge for yourself.

The facts

1. Hyundai sold it. Hyundai WIA split off its machine-tool division and sold it for ₩340 billion (roughly $240 million). The Hyundai group no longer owns it. [1, 2]

2. A private-equity fund owns most of it. Rylson Private Equity holds 65.2%, and the machine-tool maker SMEC holds 34.8%. Private-equity funds buy companies in order to sell them, and Korean press reported in 2025 that Rylson was already weighing its exit. The company behind your machine could change hands again during the machine’s working life. [2, 3]

3. Its part-owner is fighting in court over who controls it. SNT Group became SMEC’s largest shareholder and wants a say in how it is run. The two sides went through several rounds in Changwon District Court in 2026. On October 7, 2026, SNT told SMEC shareholders it may “fully reconsider” its position. SMEC’s own filings carry its WIA stake, bought for ₩113.1 billion, at ₩39.3 billion at the end of 2025. [4, 5, 6]

4. It barely makes money. In its first seven months on its own (June to December 2025), WIA made ₩1.0 billion of operating profit on ₩156.9 billion of sales, a 0.66% margin. At the end of 2025 it owed ₩322.9 billion against ₩74.3 billion of net assets. In fairness, WIA’s CEO says first-half 2026 sales rose about 36%. [6, 7, 8]

5. Nobody says who builds the machines, or where. In 2024 Hyundai WIA sold the machinery at its Changwon production unit to contract builders. WIA’s 2025 audit puts its own production machinery at ₩2,000 (under $2). The June 2026 catalogue for its LV4500 and LV8500 vertical lathes lists offices in Korea but no factory. No public source names the company that builds WIA’s lathes, or the country they’re built in. [9, 10, 11]

6. Its New England dealer is gone. Our dealership ended in April 2026. In our experience, WIA has not kept the commitments it made to us when it ended. Ask who will service your machine here, and how fast.

If you’re quoting a WIA machine, get these in writing

Which company builds this exact machine, and in which country?
A photo of the build plate, and the acceptance test at that plant.
Who honours the warranty and supplies parts if WIA is sold again?
Guaranteed parts availability, in years.
Who services it in New England, and how fast?

If you’re weighing a WIA quote, call us. We’ll tell you what we know, and what we’d buy in its place.

Sources

Read October 2026. Korean amounts as reported; dollar figures approximate.

Korea Herald, October 2026 (recaps the 2025 sale): koreaherald.com
Seoul Economic Daily TV, 2025-07-16 (owners and stakes): sentv.co.kr
Seoul Economic Daily, 2025-07-16 (Rylson’s exit): sedaily.com
Hankyung, 2026-10-07 (SNT and SMEC; the August 12 court ruling): hankyung.com
Seoul Economic Daily, 2026-03-17 and 2026-03-31 (court rulings, shareholder vote): sedaily.com, sedaily.com
Bloter, 2026-03-24, from DART filings (SMEC’s WIA stake; WIA’s liabilities): bloter.net
Dealsite, 2026-05-04, from WIA’s audit (margin): dealsite.co.kr
Dealsite, CEO interview, 2026-07-27 (first-half 2026 sales): dealsite.co.kr
Seoul Economic Daily, 2024-07-12 (Changwon machinery sold to contract builders): sedaily.com
WIA Machine Tools 2025 audit report, DART filing 20260331000078: dart.fss.or.kr
WIA Machine Tools, LV4500/8500 series catalogue, edition 2026-06