Japanese chemicals maker Kuraray recently begins production of high-performance resins at a new plant in eastern Thailand. (Photo: nikkei.com)Jakarta (VNA) – According to Nikkei Asia, a news
service in Japan, Indonesia and Thailand have
become two of the hottest Asian destinations for investment in parts and
materials for electric vehicles (EV), as Japanese, Chinese and the Republic of
Korea (RoK) players race to get in at the start of EV production in the region.
In April, Japanese plastics
maker Kuraray opened its first plant in Thailand. Speaking at the
opening ceremony, President Hitoshi said automakers want to have a supply
chain.
The new plant is one of a
growing number of EV-related investments in Thailand, which is Southeast Asia’s
biggest auto producer but still new territory for electric models. RoK’s Hyundai Motor started EV production here just last year, and China’s
BYD has plans to begin assembling vehicles in Thailand in 2024.
About 70 billion JPY (520 million USD)
was invested in the Kuraray plant, a joint venture with Thai petrochemical
company PTT Global Chemical and Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp.
Kuraray’s
high-performance resin Genestar is being produced there. It has a higher heat
resistance than standard resins and is used for high-voltage parts around
vehicle batteries. Genestar is produced in Japan, but the new Thai plant will
double annual production to 26,000 tonnes.
In
March, Japanese electronics parts maker Murata Manufacturing said that it
completed a factory for multilayer ceramic capacitors in Lamphun province in
northern Thailand.
Multilayer ceramic capacitors
stabilise the flow of electricity inside devices. As many as 10,000 can be
needed in an EV. Murata, the world leader in these capacitors, plans to
increase its supply capacity in Southeast Asia.
Thailand
introduced incentives in 2022 to promote the shift to EVs, and Chinese and
Japanese automakers responded.
BYD plans to open a plant next year with an annual output of
150,000 vehicles. Great Wall Motor, which already has entered the Thai market,
and SAIC Motor-owned MG Motor also plan to start production in the country.
Japanese parts makers see BYD and other Chinese automakers as
potential customers. Toyota Motor and Honda Motor plan to make EVs in Thailand
but likely will start at a small scale./.
