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The capacity boost will enable the company to meet rising local demand and also export to regional markets.

The plant will increase Actone's capacity to 500 buses a year, up from 200 today.

The company will also expand production of its spare-parts line. Currently it has two plants.

The decision to build another assembly facility is aimed at meeting domestic orders and is in line with a plan to export to regional markets, managing director Pichet Charoenkit said last week.

The company sold more than 200 vehicles in the first half. Its initial target was to sell 200 units for the whole year. Pichet said he would now have to revise the annual target.

The firm hopes to sell 500 buses next year when its new plant operates at full capacity.

Actone's main business is assembling customised buses and vans. Its vehicles include ambulances and buses for commercial use.

About half its revenue comes from hospital orders.

Pichet said the outlook for medical vehicles was very good, as Thailand is poised to become a centre for healthcare in Asia and is already drawing massive numbers of foreign patients.

Actone began assembling buses in 2002, diversifying its general vehicles business.

Pichet said the firm was among the companies affected by the 1997 financial crash. Since then, it has recovered and is now posting double-digit revenue growth.

It designs vehicles using aerodynamic concepts that enable vehicles to conserve energy. These designs and innovations set it apart from its rivals. Actone is the only local assembly manufacturer using aerodynamic innovation, he added.

The firm won for the "Bualuang SME Award" from Bangkok Bank this year.

It plans to seek new and lighter materials for producing vehicles and to switch from using steel to other metals, as prices of the in-demand commodity have risen.