Honda opens new after-sales parts plant

(Bangkok Post (Thailand) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Oct. 26–Honda has started producing automobile body spare parts for the after-sales market at a new plant located in the Rojana Industrial Park in Ayutthaya.

With a daily capacity of 2,100 units to meet domestic and export market demand, the plant is operated by Asian Parts Manufacturing Co, a new subsidiary of Asian Honda Motor Co, the Bangkok-based Asia & Oceania regional headquarters of the Japanese automaker.

The factory is the first to make body spare parts for all of Honda’s global models, according to Tatsuhiro Oyama, the president of Asian Honda Motor.

The company will produce parts for the Thai market plus Asean, Oceania, Japan, Europe and North America.

Next year, the company will start producing parts for the Honda Jazz, also known as the Fit in some countries, which will lead to full production.

Asian Parts Manufacturing has registered capital of 700 million baht, 80 percent held by Asian Honda Motor and 20 percent by Honda Motor Co of Japan.

The new venture would increase employment, enhance the production skills of Thai workers and help Thailand toward becoming the automobile hub of Asia, said Sudjit Inthaiwong, the deputy secretary-general of the Board of Investment (BoI), at the company’s opening ceremony on Thursday.

With an investment of 1.28 billion baht, Asian Parts Manufacturing Co received BoI promotion in August last year and factory construction was completed in April this year.

At full production capacity, the company will be able to manufacture two categories of small parts — bulkheads and bumper beams — and 17 categories of larger parts, including hoods, door panels, outer panels, fenders and roofs.

The daily capacity is 700 small spare parts and 1,400 large parts.

The plant is equipped with a four-step pressing process that can draw, trim, pierce and bend all with one machine; and an electric dip for painting.

The plant will employ 200 workers.

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