The Truong Hai Auto Corporation (Thaco) held an inauguration ceremony for its Thaco Mazda automobile manufacturing plant on March 25, attended by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, National Assembly Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu, Special Adviser to the Japanese Cabinet Isao Iijima, and leaders of a number of ministries, agencies and localities.
Located at the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone in the central province of Quang Nam, the plant is the most modern and largest in ASEAN.
Covering an area of 30.3 ha, it has investment capital of VND12 trillion ($530 million) and is equipped with cutting-edge technologies that meet the global standards of the Mazda Group.
The focus at the Thaco Mazda plant is on production lines, equipment, automation, and the latest technology. It has a robot welding line with laser welding technology, an electrostatic paint system with continuous embedding technology, and an assembly line that is 80 per cent automated.
After a year of construction and equipment installation, the plant has completed the first phase and has a capacity of 50,000 units per year. Capacity will increase to 100,000 units at the end of the second phase.
Prime Minister Phuc affirmed that the government commits to placing local and foreign automobile manufacturers on equal footing. “The government will issue proper policies to ensure fairness between locally-manufactured and imported cars, and protecting local manufacturers must be in line with Vietnam’s international commitments,” he said.
Import tariffs on automobiles from ASEAN member countries have been reduced to zero per cent since the beginning of 2018, based on the regional integration of the country’s automobile sector and leading to greater competition.
In that context, it’s encouraging that Thaco and Vingroup’s Vinfast have emerged to become part of the game in the domestic market.
On the same day, Prime Minister Phuc was also present at the opening ceremony of Japan-Chu Lai international maritime routes and the welcoming of the first vessel to dock at Chu Lai Port.
The port has regular container routes to and from South Korea, China, Japan, Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong.
Thaco is planning to invest in the construction of a new port, while Quang Nam is dredging to a depth of 11.5 meters to ensure it can berth vessels of 50,000 tons and improve shipping capacity in the central region.
Source Vneconomictimes.com