Just nine months after the official groundbreaking ceremony, Hino Motors Manufacturing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has rolled out the first Hino vehicle manufactured at its new plant in Negeri Sembilan.
The vehicle was an award-winning Hino 300 Series light commercial vehicle which is also a best-seller in Malaysia. It was unveiled by Hino Malaysia’s Managing Director Ikuo Shibano and guest-of-honour, Datuk Takashi Hibi, Deputy Chairman of UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd, at a simple line-off ceremony witnessed by guests and employees.
The state-of-the-art RM140 million facility located on a 170,000 square-metre site in Sendayan TechValley is Hino Motors Ltd’s first manufacturing plant in Malaysia and reflects the importance of the Malaysian market as the third pillar of Hino’s operations in Southeast Asia.
With an annual production capacity of approximately 10,000 units, it manufactures the full range of Hino products comprising light, medium and heavy duty trucks and buses for the Malaysian market.
According to Shibano, the commissioning of the plant was crucial to Hino Motors’ plans and ambitions as the company now has full control of product supply and the flexibility to respond to growing market demand and shorten the delivery lead time to Malaysian customers. Hino products were previously assembled by Assembly Services Sdn Bhd, the production unit of UMW Toyota Motor.
“Hino was the best-selling commercial vehicle brand in Malaysia for the fourth consecutive year in 2013 and we look forward to working hand-in-hand with our colleagues in Hino Motors Sales Malaysia to strengthen our market leadership position for many years to come,” he said.
With employee safety a top priority, the plant is equipped with innovative safety features such as separate static and dynamic inspection areas and special viewing platform for visitors.
Hino Motors Malaysia is a 58:42 joint venture between Hino Motors Ltd, Japan’s leading brand in trucks and buses, and its long-time partner in Malaysia, MBM Resources Berhad.
Since 2010, Hino has been the market leader in the overall commercial vehicle segment – 4,500 kg and above – in Malaysia.
Hino’s main competitive edge has been its ability to offer a complete range of commercial vehicles ranging from four-wheel light commercial vehicles (LCV, HINO 300 Series), medium-heavy commercial vehicles (MCV, HINO 500 Series), prime movers (HINO 700 Series) to buses that are renowned for their quality, durability and reliability. For each model, Hino is also able to offer different chassis variants to suit different purposes.
Hino products are also some of the most technologically advanced in the Malaysian market. It is the first commercial vehicle brand to offer an automatic transmission and six-seater crew cabin option for its six-wheel LCV. Hino 300 and 500 Series vehicles were also winners at the 2013 New Straits Times-Shell Rimula Truck of the Year Awards. – April 17, 2014.
Credits: The Malaysian Insider
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