Showa Denko K.K (SDK) today opened its new aluminum casting plant, SHOTIC Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (STM) at Kompleks Perindustrian Tanjung Langsat, Pasir Gudang, Johor Baharu, Malaysia to further strengthen its production system of automotive aluminum parts.

STM, setup with RM48 million (JPY 1.6 billion) capital, will be the SDK Group's first production base outside Japan to cast aluminum and is to start mass production within the month and will meet the demand for fine aluminum products through quick response to car manufacturers' and parts suppliers' needs.

"By cultivating Asian market and focusing on development of new-product which automotive industry expects, SDK aims to further solidify the foundation of its aluminium casting business," said Hideo Ichikawa, CEO of Showa Denko.

SDK has an integrated aluminum casting and forging facility at Kitakata, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, and two aluminum forging subsidiaries outside Japan, STS in Singapore, and SHOTIC Europa Industria de Aluminio, Lda. in Portugal, the statement added.

With the completion of the STM's plant in Pasir Gudang, SDK strengthens its aluminum products supply system for the Asian market. At the same time, by securing casting capacity at two locations, SDK ensures the security of its supply chain.

The Malaysian plant will produce cast aluminum rods (trade name: SHOTICTM) that has fine and homogeneous metal structure based on its proprietary continuous casting process. The Group sells SHOTICTM as raw materials for forged products.

SHOTICTM have excellent mechanical properties, such as high strength, good resistance to abrasion, and low thermal expansion coefficient. The Group produces them for various applications including automotive air-compressor components, engine pistons, and parts for automotive suspension systems.