14 INTERVIEW
Thailand’s automotive industry has been significantly developing for more than 50 years. The industry contributes 10%-12% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) with more than 850,000 employees. Thailand is the largest car manufacturer in Southeast Asia. The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) estimates exports of automotive products to have totalled 950 billion baht in 2018, up from 941 billion baht in 2017. Export growth covers approximately 60% of all automotive sales of Thailand.
Asia-Pacific tyre market expected to see strong growth during 2020-2025
Ms. Sirivan Koo-Amphorn, Managing Director, Continental Tires (Thailand) Co., Ltd. One of the prominent players in the expor t of automotive products from Thailand is Continental Tires. Since its establishment in 1871 in Hannover, Germany, Continental Tires is proud of its German heritage and continues to use German technology to provide highstandard products to its customers. It also aims to be one of the top three tyre manufacturers in Thailand. Recently, the company selected Rayong Province — in the heart of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) — for its new passenger and light truck tyre production facility in the Asia and Pacific region, which will create around 900 new jobs in Thailand. GTCC is grateful to Ms. Sirivan Koo-Amphorn, Managing Director of Continental Tires (Thailand) Co., Ltd. since 2012, for sharing with us Continental Tires’ vision and her insights into the EEC in this exclusive interview. What are your company’s targets in the next 10 years? We aim to provide top value creation and enhancement of environmental, economic and social requirements for healthy mobility. With the Vision 2025 and Strategy 2030 schemes, we aim to become the global tyre company of choice. The Transformation 2019-2029 structural programme, as part of Strategy 2030, has two main aims — an increased focus on growth areas of future personal mobility such as assisted, automated or connected driving as well as
UPDATE 1/2020
electric mobility, and the targeted adjustments to the organization and portfolio in order to increase efficiency and productivity. What is the current situation in the tyre market in Thailand, ASEAN and Asia? The tyre market in Thailand and the AsiaPacific (APAC) region as a whole — our focus region — is expected to grow during the next five years, and we will continue to actively invest in Thailand and APAC as our main markets. This development will be suppor ted and driven by an increase in automobile production, and favourable initiatives like the EEC that, among others, promote infrastructure. As a company, Continental Tires has invested in a tyre plant
