Toyota plans new plant in Malaysia

Even as Toyota Motor Corporation is 're-looking' at its India operations in the wake of the recent wave against diesel, the Japanese carmaker is continuing with investments in Malaysia. 

Toyota Motor Corporation has decided to reorganise its production system in Malaysia, given the gradual growth of the Malaysian market, with the creation of a new vehicle plant to serve as its production core in Malaysia.

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT) will proceed with this reorganisation through its subsidiary, Assembly Services Sdn Bhd (ASSB), a manufacturing company based in Malaysia. UMWT will discontinue the manufacturing of passenger vehicles at its existing plant by early 2019, using that location instead as a dedicated commercial vehicle plant as the new plant will exclusively manufacture passenger vehicles.

UMWT currently manufactures the Hilux, Fortuner, Innova, Hiace, Camry, Camry Hybrid and the Vios.

Set to be built in Klang, in the state of Selangor, the new plant will have an annual production capacity of 50,000 vehicles. Approximately 49 billion yen (Rs 2,548 crore) is to be invested in the exclusive passenger vehicle manufacturing plant, which is planned to begin operations in early 2019. Toyota says this plant is the next step in its efforts to create competitive plants using innovative production technologies such as freely extensible lines and compact painting booths; features which will also be introduced in Toyota's new Mexican plant and new Chinese line.

As for the existing Malaysian plant started Corona and Corolla's Completely Knocked Down production in 1968, by dividing production of commercial and passenger vehicles between the existing plant and the new, processes and distribution will be optimized based on vehicle structure and size, which, in turn, will increase productivity in the existing plant.

According to Toyota managing officer Tatsuro Takami, "This plant is another of our efforts to create new, competitive plants, following the decisions made last year to create a new plant in Mexico and a new line in China, and the opening of two new engine plants this year in Indonesia and Brazil. In addition to introducing cutting-edge production technologies, we will dedicate ourselves to developing the personnel who support the making of ever-better cars. By doing this, we will provide high quality vehicles to Malaysian customers through UMWT."