Dana Holding Corporation inaugurated a new Dana Spicer Thailand Gear Plant in Rayong, Thailand, recently, its fourth operation in that country, established to supply gear-sets to light-vehicle manufacturers in the Asia-Pacific region. Dana’s regional customers for axles and driveshafts include Ford, Mazda, Nissan, and Suzuki. The company has three plants already in Thailand, employing about 775 people, it stated.
The new plant adds 100 more jobs and 70,000 square feet of manufacturing space to the Rayong complex. It produces Spicer® AdvanTEK® hypoid or spiral bevel ring and pinion gear sets. According to Dana, the plant can manufacture primary ring and pinion-drive gearing for standard banjo and beam axles, as well as all-wheel-drive systems.
The Spicer product line includes axles and driveshafts for commercial vehicles, light trucks, off-highway vehicles, and industrial engines. Specific products include universal joints, driveshaft assemblies, steering shafts, end fittings, wing and center bearings, and end yokes, among various others.
"Dana's investment in Thailand is expanding our gear development and manufacturing capabilities to deliver technologies to our customers more quickly and cost effectively," stated Bob Pyle, president of Dana Light Vehicle Driveline Technologies. "This new capacity will enable us to support Thailand's domestic and export markets and better equip the company for increasing customer demands in the Asia-Pacific region."
The Ohio-based corporation has automotive component testing and development capabilities in the region – including technical centers in Wuxi, China, and Pune, India – indicated its manufacturing capacity is scalable to customers’ requirements.
