Nissan Builds New-Gen Pickup at Second Thailand Plant

Nissan opens its second plant in Thailand, using it as a production hub for the new-generation Navara pickup truck destined for 45 countries.

The TB3.7 billion ($114.2 million), 6.2 million-sq.-ft. (580,000-sq.-m) plant has a capacity of 150,000 units a year. More than half of the vehicles built there will be exported.

The new plant will increase Nissan’s annual production capacity in Thailand to 370,000 units, a far cry from its arrival in 1963 when four cars a day rolled off the production line.

Along with its two plants, Nissan has an R&D facility in the country and says Thailand is an integral part of its strategy in Asia.

“Thailand is the engine of growth for us in the region, so we’re excited to be opening this second plant today that will produce our latest pickup,” says Fumiaki Matsumoto, Nissan executive vice president responsible for global manufacturing.

“It signifies our optimism for Thailand, as a growing automotive market, a center of manufacturing excellence for the region and an export hub for the world.”

Nissan has spent TB162 million ($5 million) on the new facility’s zero-discharge program and recycles all industrial wastewater through the reverse-osmosis process. It is providing training to subcontractors and employees to raise awareness of waste management and resource reduction.

The plant, which employs 2,000 workers, uses 85% local parts.