UACJ Group to open aluminum plant in Rayong

UACJ Group, the largest aluminum manufacturer in Japan, announced on Thursday, last week that it would be officially opening an aluminum rolling plant in Rayong. The plant will be the first of its kind in the Southeast Asia region, and will cost Bt21 billion.

The plant began operations in August, and expects to achieve a 200,000 ton annual capacity by 2017. The plant in Rayong employs 700 workers; 100 of which are Japanese, and 600 of which are Thais. Over time, Japanese staff will be reduced and replaced completely by Thai staff.

CEO of UACJ, Mitsuru Okada, stated that the company is considering making an additional investment to its Rayong facility to boost its annual capacity to reach 300,000 tons by 2020.

Akinori Yamahuchi, UACJ’s president, noted that Thailand has excellent infrastructure and offers an excellent location as far as logistics go. The countries are in the center of the company’s major consumers.

Approximately 80% of the Rayong facility’s capacity will be for aluminum cans, while 15% will be for heat exchanger materials, and the remaining 5% for closure sheets.

UACJ Group provides aluminum products to over 40 countries in a number of different forms, including forged products, cast, rolled, extruded, and foil. They also process color-coated products. Currently, the company employs a staff of 8,500 people.