Brose Delloyd Automotive opens production plant in Thailand

The joint venture company Brose Delloyd Automotive officially opened its production facility in Thailand in the presence of around 80 guests from government and industry. The plant in Rayong will start by producing window regulators for the Ford-Mazda joint venture AutoAlliance Thailand. There are plans for further projects, which will entail an increase in the workforce from 30 to 70 employees by 2013.

“The production facility in Thailand is an important milestone in our efforts to expand our position as a supplier in the ASEAN region (Association of South East Asian Nations). Our joint venture pools the expertise of two strong partners and offers our customers a reliable partnership for the whole area of South-East Asia,” said Thomas Spangler, President Brose Asia, at the opening ceremony.“I am particularly pleased to welcome staff from Toyota, VW, GM, Daimler and Mitsubishi, as well as representatives from our customer Ford.”

The plant’s General Manager, Andreas Wegener, added, “The production of window regulators is just the first step. In the medium term we will be establishing other Brose products in Rayong.” To achieve this, the automotive supplier intends to bring in projects from other automotive manufacturers operating in the ASEAN market.

Dr Thomas Multhaup from the German Embassy in Bangkok expressed his conviction about the future success of the joint venture: “Brose is on the winning side – a real champion and an excellent example of a successfully run family firm. I wish you every success in your joint project!”

Reiko Minagawa Webster, Executive General Manager of the Purchasing Division of the Ford-Mazda joint venture AutoAlliance Thailand, confirmed that Brose Delloyd is on the right path in Thailand: “I have worked with Brose on the introduction of the Ford Focus program in North America for over 13 years and, speaking from experience, I can say that Brose is a supplier that combines reliable manufacturing technologies with outstanding quality performance. It is not for nothing that the company has received the Ford World Excellence Award four times within the past five years. Based on our experience with Brose, we are delighted to see that Brose and Delloyd have gone into partnership to set up a modern production site in Thailand that will support our production operations.”

These words of recognition give the new plant’s General Manager, Andreas Wegener, a positive view of the future: “It is now up to Brose Delloyd to consolidate and confirm the good impression that our guests received at the plant opening. The positive response from our customers and the interest shown by other carmakers with their own assembly plants in Thailand confirms the Brose Group’s strategy of strengthening its activities in the ASEAN countries.”

The joint venture

Two strong partners are pooling their expertise under the name Brose Delloyd Automotive: the Brose Group is bringing decades of know-how in the development and manufacture of mechatronic components and systems for car bodies and interiors and is represented in all the major
automotive markets. Delloyd is an experienced component manufacturer in South-East Asia with production plants in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

Brose’s equity stake in the joint venture is 60%. Delloyd holds the remaining 40%.

Brose in Asia

As the Asian automotive market has grown rapidly over the past 15 years, the Brose Group has systematically expanded its activities in this dynamic region. Today the company has 13 sites in Asia: in China, Japan, Korea, India and Thailand. They account for around 20% of the group’s sales. The group currently employs around 3,000 people in the region, a figure that is set to rise to nearly 4,500 by 2013.

The partner company

Delloyd Ventures Berhad, a company listed on the Malaysian stock exchange, generated sales of
approx. 130 million US dollars in 2010 and employs around 1500 people at three production sites in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Its product portfolio includes, among other things, window regulators, closure modules, bumpers, radio aerials, alarm systems and rear-view and side mirrors.