A visit to Isuzu’s Gateway plant in Thailand
When Isuzu decided to set up shop in Thailand, they were making a very committed decision that required massive financial and resource investment, as the end goal would be to create a global hub for the production of Isuzu vehicles outside of Japan. Isuzu Motor Corporation Thailand (IMCT) has been operating since 1966, following the opening of the Samrong production plant in 1963.
But the latest investment for Isuzu is the new plant in their Gateway complex, located in the province of Chachoengsao, just a few hours outside of Bangkok. This new plant is dedicated to the production of the Isuzu D-Max and it’s variants, supplying not only the Thailand market but nearly every market in which Isuzu is sold worldwide. The plant is not merely an assembly facility, as it has the means to manufacture the necessary components and parts for a model as well.
The initial investment for this new plant was a lofty RM 680 million, but the plant’s potential combined production rate is set at 113,000 units per year for both the pickup trucks and full on commercial vehicles. This is by no means the production ceiling of the plant: the new factory site is roughly 3 times larger in terms of available compared to the initial site, but only a fraction of it is currently used for production. As of now the total annual production for IMCT is set at over 430,000 units per year, a large proportion of which is exported.
Like all relatively small companies, Isuzu has great concern for their workers welfare. Larger companies tend to have a large disconnect between upper management and plant workers, which leads to mild dissent or resentment. With so few products to sell. Isuzu focuses on improving worker welfare. Little things such as placing the paint ovens on the upper floors to reduce the temperature in the factory all contribute to lowering worker fatigue and stress levels.
More modern processes are also introduced. Ro-Dip is a painting process that has been around for the better part of two decades, but it is a technique that has hardly been seen in Asia. Besides Ford’s usage of Ro-Dip for their Focus manufacturing in Thailand, Isuzu is the only other company in the region to adopt the process, and the second Japanese car company to employ it after Honda installed it in their Swindon factory in the UK.
Where Ro-Dip differs from the standard dipping process is that it rotates the vehicle’s body within the paint tank as opposed to simply dropping the body in. This in turn prevents fluid build-ups and allows air bubbles to escape from potential choke points. Ro-Dip is superior to the standard conventional painting process by improving the paint coverage and ensuring a more even coating. Isuzu’s introduction of Ro-Dip in the manufacturing of commercial vehicles shows their dedication to improving the quality standards of these workhorses.
The new plant will mean a boost in Thailand’s economy and job market, as well as a healthy profit for Isuzu Motor Corporation. With such a large backlog of orders IMCT will be working as hard as they can to meet the demands, and their Gateway plant will most likely be able to handle the increased workload. Depending on the performance of the Gateway factory, Isuzu may soon make Thailand the global production hub for their vehicles.
But Isuzu isn’t interested in Thailand merely for their production abilities. The Thai market is growing at a phenomenal pace, and pickup trucks represent a very large proportion of that market. So big was the appeal of Isuzu’s pickup truck and SUV models that they built an Isuzu 4×4 Land in order to showcase their models in a more appropriate environment.
Part marketing exercise and part training tool, the 4×4 land is open to anybody who wishes to go, and showcases a variety of off-road obstacle set across 20 acres of land. These exercises can be as simple as traversing deep ruts and driving across high angled banks, to more complex tasks like sharp ascents and descents, as well as water crossings. With an instructor on hand to guide participants, the course is a great way to understand the basics of dealing with off-road situations. The stars of the show are, of course, the new Isuzu D-Max, both in automatic and manual variants.
This is an example of is what Malaysia could have been if our government were more open to foreign car companies setting up plants and factories for production, instead of setting up more red tape and hoops for companies to jump through. The potential economic boost would be very welcome, but with rules and regulations constantly in flux most manufacturers are deterred from investing in Malaysia.
Words: Aswan Yap
Pictures:
– Factory Interior: Official Isuzu release
– 4×4 Land: Aswan Yap
