Lighting firm scrambles as carmakers set to restart
Lighting firm scrambles as carmakers set to restart NALIN VIBOONCHART THE NATION As carmakers Toyota, Mazda and Mitsubishi gear up to resume local production in the middle of this month, Thai Stanley Electric, the country's largest supplier of a
As carmakers Toyota, Mazda and Mitsubishi gear up to resume local production in the middle of this month, Thai Stanley Electric, the country’s largest supplier of automotive-lighting equipment, yesterday started up its plant in Pathum Thani.
Choichi Yuki, managing director of Mazda Sales (Thailand), said the assembly of two models – Mazda2 and Mazda3 – would begin at the AutoAlliance Thailand plant in Rayong on Monday.
Mazda is confident that demand for vehicles is still strong in Thailand, as its sales in October accelerated 23.8 per cent year on year to 3,284 units.
“The good sales in October also led Mazda to break our historic share of 7.7 per cent of the Thai market,” Yuki said.
Mitsubishi Motor also plans to restart its assembly line in Laem Chabang on Monday.
Akio Toyoda, chief executive officer of Toyota Motor Corporation, on Wednesday said in Bangkok that Toyota would resume production at its three plants in Thailand on November 21.
The disruption in Thailand has caused chaos for the manufacturers of Japanese brands worldwide. Toyota and Honda have had to cut production at many bases, as parts producers in Thailand do not have supplies for export.
Apichart Lee-issaranukul, executive vice president of Thai Stanley Electric, said production was still limited as some supporting machines were damaged from the flood waters. It has tried to produce as much lighting equipment as possible so that it can meet the demand from many auto-makers that are starting production next week.
About 100 members of its 3,300-strong workforce are working hard to restore the plants so production can be resumed as fast as possible, he said. New machines have to be ordered to replace the damaged ones. Other auto-parts producers will do the same, as the only target of auto-makers right now is to restart production at the earliest date.
“My focus now is to produce lighting equipment and deliver them to our clients. Losses are not our concern. We have to deliver the products on time. This is a time when all parties in the automobile industry have to help the industry recover as a whole,” he said.
