MAZDA TO BUILD TRANSMISSION PLANT IN THAILAND

Mazda SKYACTIV-DRIVE Transmission 

HIROSHIMA, Japan : January 30, 2013 - Mazda Motor Corporation will construct a transmission plant with an annual production capacity of approximately 400,000 units in the Chonburi Province of Thailand representing an investment of 26 billion yen. Mazda has decided to establish the plant in order to respond to increasing demand for models featuring SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY and to strengthen its global production footprint. Operations at the new plant will commence in the first half of the fiscal year ending March 2016.

The new transmission plant will be located approximately five kilometers north of Mazda's joint venture production facility, AutoAlliance (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (AAT) and will supply SKYACTIV-DRIVE automatic transmissions for SKYACTIV models produced at AAT and other Mazda vehicle production facilities around the world.

Mazda's Representative Director, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, Takashi Yamanouchi commented, "Mazda is establishing global production footprints in order to achieve our goal of an annual global sales volume of 1.7 million units by fiscal year ending March 2016. The Nakanoseki district of Hofu Plant will remain the chief production facility for transmissions, but we have decided to establish a second major transmission plant in Thailand's Chonburi Province. This will enable Mazda to cope with the rapidly increasing demand for SKYACTIV models and establish a production system capable of responding to the changing demands of our customers in a flexible and timely manner. We will make use of the knowledge and experience gained through AAT to ensure the success of the new plant in cooperation with the people of Thailand."

Company Overview

Company name	Mazda Powertrain Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (MPMT)
Location	Chonburi Province, Thailand
Total investment	Approximately 26 billion yen
Investment ratio	100% Mazda
Business outline	Production and sales of transmissions for Mazda vehicles
Number of employees	Approximately 500

 

[Source : MAZDA]

Mazda and Ford invest additional us$27 million in Autoalliance Thailand to boost pickup production capacity

•  New investment made to meet extraordinary global demand for all-new pickup trucks
• New production capacity comes online from next month
• AAT’s pickup line was upgraded in 2011 for production of the all-new Mazda BT-50 and all-new Ford Ranger

HIROSHIMA : April 26, 2012 - Mazda Motor Corporation and Ford Motor Company today announced an additional investment of US$27 million (approximately THB 837 million) in their AutoAlliance (Thailand) (AAT) joint venture to upgrade production equipment and increase pickup truck production capacity by 20,000 units per year.

ATT produces the all-new Mazda BT-50 and all-new Ford Ranger pickup trucks for the Thai domestic market and export markets around the world. The new investment will include facility upgrades such as additional robotic equipment and tooling to help increase line speed and output. The new capacity will come into effect starting next month.

The additional 20,000 units bring the total annual capacity of AAT’s pickup truck line to 140,000 units (195,000 units when including CKD), bringing overall capacity of AAT to 240,000 units (295,000 units when including CKD) per year, including the passenger car line.

This latest investment increases Mazda and Ford’s total joint investment in the AAT facility to nearly US$2 billion (THB 62 billion) since operations began in 1995. In 2010, the two companies jointly-invested US$350 million (THB10.8 billion) in support of facility upgrades and supplier tooling to enable production of the all-new Ford Ranger and all-new Mazda BT-50trucks.

“This additional AAT investment is part of the strategic business partnership between Ford and Mazda,” said Yuji Nakamine, Senior Managing Executive Director of Mazda Motor Corporation. “Additionally, it allows us to continue to meet exceptionally strong demand for our all-new BT-50.”

“This new investment reinforces Ford Motor Company's long-term commitment to Thailand as a global production and export hub, and will allow us to meet the extraordinary demand for the all-new Ford Ranger,” said Peter Fleet, president, Ford ASEAN.

AutoAlliance (Thailand), one of the most modern automotive manufacturing facilities in Thailand, has helped to set the standard for automotive manufacturing in the ASEAN region through its ongoing commitment to world-class quality, standards and cost-competitiveness.

In addition to the Mazda BT-50 and Ford Ranger pickups, AAT produces the Ford Everest SUV, and passenger vehicles such as Ford Fiesta, Mazda2 (known in Japan as Demio) and Mazda3 (known in Japan as Axela) for sale in Thailand and for export to ASEAN and other markets.

[Source : FORD, MAZDA]