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| IHI Turbo Thailand President Koji Ojiri |
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As Thailand strives to become the ‘‘Detroit of the East’’ through the implementation of various investment incentives, more automakers have moved to the country, making it the world’s 15th-largest vehicle producer and Southeast Asia’s largest.
In fact, Thailand is the world’s second-largest market for pickup trucks after the United States and exports these vehicles to more than 100 countries around the world. IHI Turbo in Thailand is among the biggest suppliers of components for this very popular type of truck. ‘‘Our turbochargers are produced in Thailand but used in vehicles around the world, which is great for our company and the awareness of our products,’’ says President Koji Ojiri, whose clients include Toyota, Mazda, Isuzu, Mitsubishi and Nissan.
To meet the increasing demand for pickup trucks in Thailand and around the world, IHI Turbo built a new factory last year, which began production in August 2005. ‘‘In 2005, we delivered our 1 millionth turbocharger, which is an exciting milestone for us. We currently have the capacity to produce 800,000 units a year; and our goal is to reach 1 million units by 2010,’’ says Ojiri.
‘In 2005 we delivered our 1 millionth turbocharger, which is an exciting milestone for us. We currently have the capacity to produce 800,000 units a year; and our goal is to reach 1 million units by 2010’
IHI Turbo Thailand, which was the first company in Thailand to produce turbochargers, is the undisputed market leader for these components in 1-ton pickup trucks and expects to have a 100
percent market share by the end of 2006. Last year, the company began exporting components to IHI Japan. This remains a small part of its business but it is expected to grow more in Japan and eventually in China. Ojiri intends to expand component exports to the IHI Group to about 30 percent of total turnover within the next few years.
www.ihi-turbo.co.th |