Capacity increase for Yokohama in Thailand

According to news reported by the Bangkok Post today, Yokohama Rubber intends to double capacity at its Rayong factory in Thailand; the stated reason for this increase is to equip the country as a base from where the ASEAN region can be supplied.

The publication quotes Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) manager Punnaphop Boriboon as saying daily truck and bus tyre capacity will double to 2,080 units next year, while passenger car tyre capacity will grow from 12,200 a day to 26,000 a day within five or six years. Following the expansion of bus and truck tyre production, the Rayong plant’s natural rubber requirement will leap from 10,000 tonnes a year to 15,000 tonnes a year, Boriboon added.

The manager told the Bangkok Post that the factory’s exports to North America dipped in 2013, and in terms of percentage by region they plummeted. In 2012, North America accounted for 60 per cent of sales from Rayong; Boriboon estimates that this market’s share will fall to just seven per cent of the total. On the other hand, sales within Thailand are expected to grow from ten per cent of the total in 2012 to 42 per cent this year. Projected European exports are nine per cent, and ASEAN markets and Australia are expected to take 26 per cent of sales.