• Thailand has been considered as the production base for the world market
Volvo Group Trucks Asia & JVs, Bangkok Plant, the assembler of Volvo Trucks and UD Trucks, has cerebrated 40th year anniversary in Thailand while the latest investment of 2 billion baht has been completed.
Ms. Helen Savmyr, Senior Vice President Volvo Group Trucks Asia & JVs and Plant Manager, said during the past 40 years, Bangkok Plant had the latest investment of two billion baht pushing Thailand's plant having assembling capacity of 20,000 units per annum of UD Trucks and 4,500 Volvo Trucks per year.
Ms. Helen said the latest investment had set by the parent firm in Sweden to promote Thailand as production base of UD Trucks for the global market. Moreover, the two-billion-baht investment was set for the recently implemented AEC creating the borderless practice of the land transportation which would help increase demand for bus and trucks.
"Due to Thailand is the country that our parent firm in Sweden has paid a lot of attention to promote as production base in ASEAN for exporting to around the world, we have invested in Thailand in UD Trucks and now we are proud our heavy duty Japanese heritage trucks is well accepted in the world market," said Ms. Helen.
Ms. Helen said the heavy duty trucks in this region had high potential to grow because of the active logistics business which was benefited by the borderless land transportation from Thailand to other countries in AEC.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kamlarp Sirikittiwatn, Volvo Group Thailand's President, added that the latest investment of two billion baht in Thailand had confirmed that Thailand was very important country for the parent firm in Sweden.
"We are very proud of this factory as a result of the decision of our parent firm to promote Thailand as production base for UD Trucks being supplied to the world market. That will mean the latest technology will be transferred to Thailand and off course to the Thai engineers. This will benefit to Thailand in term of technology transfer as well as the export opportunity," said Mr. Kamlarp.
Bangkok Plant is located on Bangna-Trat Road KM. 25 on 77 rai with total capacity of 10,000 trucks per year and employment of 695 people, 565 of which are working in assembly line. Now, the plant uses around 50% regional content.