Detik Benua Co. & Spiral Circuit team up to invest in Thailand

Now, that the political turmoil in Thailand is over, this seems to be the first good news for Thai economy. Two, big Malaysian firms, Detik Benua Co, a finance company in Malaysia, and Spiral Circuit Co (Malaysia), the distributor of Johnson Electric car micro motors in Asean, are teaming up to make their entry into the Thai automotive market from next year. Spiral Circuit, Detik Benua’s technology partner, is currently the distributor for Johnson Electric in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. On the other hand, Johnson Electric is the world’s largest manufacturer of micro motors for car windows, central locking systems, air-conditioning units and other functions.

They plan to invest at least 20 billion baht over the next three years in establishing a production site for high-tech auto parts and vehicles. Capital will be invested in phases under a three-year plan. The first phase involves producing selected parts and later vehicles. Initially, the consortium will make electric motors for hybrid cars, which will be built in Thailand later.

Max Tan, a representative of Detik Benua and executive director of Spiral Circuit, said, “We believe in Thailand. It remains Asean’s second largest economy with plenty of skilled and semi-skilled labour, especially in automotive contract manufacturing.

We are aware that the global financial crisis and credit crunch have affected our region too. But we are unfazed. Investing in Asean has always been our priority and this region remains attractive for us to start smart and strategic partnerships.”