Tan Chong International Limited (TCIL) together with Subaru Corporation officially launched its Tan Chong Subaru Automotive (Thailand) Limited (TCSAT) manufacturing plant here in Ladkrabang Industrial Estate, Bangkok.
This is the first dedicated Subaru manufacturing plant outside of Japan in Asia and the third plant to fully produce Subaru vehicles worldwide – Tan Chong’s plant in Segambut assembles Subaru cars on a contract manufacturing basis. With an initial investment of THB5 billion (RM647 million) from TC Manufacturing and Assembly (Thailand) Limited (74.9% stake) and Subaru Corporation (25.1% stake).
The new plant occupies more than 24.7 acres of space covering a Paint Shop, Body Shop, Assembly Shop, CKD Warehouse and management offices. It took a mere 24 months from the ground breaking ceremony till the first car to roll off the production halls on 15 August 2018. Thailand’s status as an automotive hub with established component suppliers and strong localisation ability mean the plant could be up and running in a short time frame.
The fifth-generation Subaru Forester is the first CKD model to be assembled at TCSAT and some 100 cars have already been delivered to customers in Thailand. The cars will be distributed in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia with targeted delivery of more than 6,000 Foresters in the plant’s first operating year.
Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of TCIL, Mr Glenn Tan said: “This is truly a milestone for us, to be able to build Subaru cars ourselves in Thailand. From distribution, dealerships and aftersales, we are now also manufacturing Subaru cars. This strategic long- term move will allow us to better manage our supply chain, widen our product line up, localise better and be less dependent on supply from Japan. We will be better able to respond and meet consumer demand for Subaru vehicles in the region, and perhaps even beyond the region in future.”
IMAGE GALLERY
Tan Chong Subaru Automotive (Thailand) CKD Plant
