Mazda opens exclusive assembly facility in Inokom plant
Mazda’s CKD operations in Malaysia begins an important chapter today with the official opening of a new dedicated trim and final facility built inside the premises of Inokom’s plant in Kulim, Kedah. The new dedicated plant now begins mass production of the CX-5 and preparations are already underway for CKD of the all-new third-generation Mazda3 scheduled for roll out in the third quarter of this year.
Mazda’s tie-up with Inokom began with contract assembly of the second-generation Mazda3 in 2011 using shared facilities with the main Inokom plant complex that also assembles vehicles for Hyundai and BMW. A Mazda-exclusive body shop was opened in March 2013 to produce monocoque frames for the CX-5, which were subsequently assembled in the same assembly line as the old Mazda3. Paint shop continues to be shared with Hyundai vehicles.
The new trim facility’s opening today sees assembly of the CX-5 completely transferred over to the dedicated complex, with the existing line now maintained to clear off back log orders for the outgoing Mazda3 that evidently remains popular amongst Malaysians despite an all-new model’s arrival.
Speaking at the plant’s opening ceremony today, Mazda’s Executive Officer and General Manager of Hiroshima Plant, Masatoshi Maruyama said, “Mazda regards Malaysia as a key production base in the ASEAN region and we are very pleased to further strengthen our local production framework here with the completion of this Mazda-exclusive vehicle assembly facility.”
At a question and answer session after the official ceremony, Maruyama repeatedly highlighted that in quality terms, Mazda vehicles produced in Malaysia are of equal quality to those rolling out from Japan, although he highlighted the need for an increase in outputs to meet the robust demand currently enjoyed by Mazda vehicles in the country.
Dato’ Seri Ben Yeoh, Executive Director of local distributors Bermaz Motor echoed his Japanese counterpart’s desire to see a ramp up in production to slash lengthy waiting times by customers but also highlighted challenges in training its pool of manpower to raise their outputs without compromising on vehicle build quality. The Inokom plant’s location in Kulim puts it in the vicinity of a pool of workers that grew up in agricultural surroundings and some are unfamiliar with machinations. The process of training these operators therefore require added time and effort.
Now with its dedicated body and trim shops, Mazda accounts for 40% of total outputs from the Inokom plant with estimated annual production of 20,000 units. These two dedicated facilities are the result of RM100 million worth of investments by Mazda Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a 70-30 joint venture between Mazda Motor Corp and local distributors Bermaz Motor Sdn Bhd responsible for production and sales of Mazda vehicles in Malaysia.
Pictures: Official Mazda release.
