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Showing posts from April, 2013

Asahi Tec chooses Laos ahead of Thailand

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Via Bangkok Post:  VIENTIANE : Higher labour costs and a labour shortage in Thailand have prompted Japanese auto parts maker Asahi Tec Corporation (ATC) to build its new overseas factory in Laos. The 1.6-billion-baht plant in Savannakhet province will manufacture aluminium die casting parts. "The labour shortage and high cost of expansion are the main problems for the expansion plan in Thailand, so Savannakhet is our new investment destination," said ATC director and chairman Shoichiro Irimajiri. ATC's four factories in Thailand, which produce aluminium and iron casting parts, have already reached full capacity. A new company, BMM Asahi Tec, has been formed through an equal joint venture with leading Lao company BMM Group, which is involved in property development and duty-free retailing. The factory will be located in the Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone, which is expected to be a thriving hub of trade and services in the Greater Mekong Subregion. BMM Asahi Tec plans to

Car makers may help to fund testing centre

via Bangkok Post The government is considering collecting contributions from car makers to raise money to establish a centre for testing and research development. Contributions of 500 to 1,000 baht for each vehicle sold are being considered, according to Phayungsak Chatsuthipol, a member of the state's Strategic Committee for Reconstruction and Future Development (SCRF). Mr Phayungsak said SCRF chairman Virabongsa Ramangura has instructed the Thailand Automotive Institute to study the feasibility of gathering money from car firms to fund the centre's establishment. The institute has sought financial support from SCRF for its plan to set up the centre at a cost of 8 billion baht.