Electrolux invests Bt600m in Rayong factory
Ian Banes launches the Market Fresh range yesterday.
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Electrolux is spending Bt600 million to double the annual capacity of its Rayong plant to 300,000 front-loaded washing machines by the fourth quarter.
"The expansion will make our Rayong facility a centre to supply front-loaded washing machines to markets in Southeast Asia including Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia," Ian Banes, general manager of Electrolux Thailand, said yesterday. "It's aimed at serving the growing trend of Electrolux's front-loaded business in those markets that have serious concerns about the water and energy-saving capabili- ties of front-loaded washing machines," he said. The plant - set up in 2003 by Sweden-based Electrolux, the world's largest producer of home appliances - will also increase its production workforce from 350 to 600 this year. It ships 80-85 per cent of its output to Southeast Asia. The expansion project will serve both domestic and export markets, which are expected to see a big increase of almost 20 per cent this year. Electrolux yesterday rolled out its latest Market Fresh range of refrigerators, which have been developed around some key insights gleaned from in-home observations of Thai consumers. Offering features such as bag clips, drinks-block and flexible storage, the new refrigerators are made at Sharp's plant on Bang Na-Trat Road as part of the global collaboration of the two electronic-appliance makers. "The launch of our new refrigerator range will help strengthen our positioning as one of the leaders in integrated kitchen products in Thailand. The company plans to introduce 60 products for integrated kitchens this year, half of them produced at its facility in Rayong," Banes said. Growth in the Bt40-billion overall home-appliance market will slow to only 2 per cent, from 5 per cent last year, due to the drop in consumer confidence, but integrated kitchen products should enjoy brisk sales, he said. Electrolux is the market leader here for front-loaded washing machines and bag-less vacuum cleaners and is among the top five in integrated kitchen appliances. The company wants to move into the top three in integrated kitchens in 18 months to two years, he added.
Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn The Nation
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