JATCO Thailand up and running
- Date : 09 September 2013
On September 9, JATCO officially opened its third overseas plant (after Mexico and China) in Amata Nakorn, Thailand. Annually JATCO Thailand will produce 500,000 units of one of its latest CVTs, the Jatco CVT7, to be installed in compact cars such as the March (also known as Micra) and Sylphy produced by Nissan Thailand. Established with an investment of approximately \20 billion ($200 million), the current number of employees is approximately 740, which is scheduled to increase to 1,300 by fiscal 2014. The plant plays a major part in the company’s strong commitment to growth.
Back in June 2011 JATCO announced that it would be the first CVT manufacturer in Thailand. One of the most significant advantages of the plant, which officially began production in July 2013, is its relatively small low carbon footprint. It achieves this by having aluminum materials delivered from a neighboring supplier in a molten metal form, rather than as (solid) ingots, thus eliminating the re-melting process. This is expected to create 1,350 tons less of CO² a year.
During the opening ceremony JATCO President and CEO Takashi Hata commented on how the CVTs produced by JATCO Thailand have been highly evaluated for substantially improving cars’ environmental impact and fuel efficiency. He added, “Through the spread of our environmentally friendly products, and by creating investment and employment opportunities, we hope to continue contributing to the development of Thailand’s automotive industry and regional economy.”
While Tomoaki Hirayama, president of JATCO Thailand, has many plans for the plant’s future. At the opening ceremony he said, “In terms of productivity, quality and cost, I hope to make this plant serve as a model for JATCO’s global operations.”
