Car seats manufactured at its composite components plant in THACO Chu Lai Industrial Zone in Quang Nam Province are exported to Japan. — Photo courtesy of THACO

Vietnamese multi-business group THACO, also a leading automaker in the country, has delivered to Japan a shipment of composite car seat frames manufactured at its composite components plant in THACO Chu Lai Industrial Zone in Quang Nam Province.

This is THACO’s first exports of composite car seat frames and the products have not been supplied in Viet Nam yet. They are also the first ones among the 1,300 composite seat frames ordered by Japanese company RECARO, which uses them for its racing cars.

Composite is a material with high durability, lighter than metal materials but still meeting the technical requirements, performance and aesthetics. The products have uniform colour and weight only 5.8 kilogram each.

They are designed to firmly hold the driver, limit vibrations, provide more comfort and higher safety than other materials. With low centroid, the seat also helps the driver to sit in the correct posture and reduce fatigue, thus less effect to muscles and the spine, especially suitable for long-distance driving and rough roads and racing cars.

THACO’s composite components plant started producing composite seat frames earlier this year after signing a deal this February with TIP Composite, a Japanese company based in Osaka City with two factories in Nagano Prefecture.

The company specialises in designing, manufacturing and supplying composite products such as equipment used in transportation, industry, communications and medicine.

Under the agreement, TIP has transferred technology and sent Japanese engineers to the factory for at-site training, technical assistance; products will then be supplied to TIP. Product quality is assessed and approved by Japanese experts.

The 1.1 hectare factory has a designed annual capacity of 24,000 sets of product, modern technology production lines and equipment imported from the US, Germany, Italy, in which resin transfer molding (RTM) and sheet molding compound (SMC) are the advanced technologies in manufacturing composite components currently across the world.

The plant has produced high quality products such as composite components for auto, construction, agriculture, civil and industrial sectors and for industrial molds. They are both exported and supplied to domestic enterprises, including THACO’s factories in Chu Lai, Quang Nam Province.

Implementing strategies that promote the export of automobiles, parts and components, THACO has invested in building factories with modern technology, automatic and digital platform management, set up joint ventures and partnerships with foreign businesses to expand markets and develop products meeting overseas standards regulations in order to export its products.

Along with autos, parts and components and mechanic products made at THACO Chu Lai Industrial Zone such as car bumpers, wires harness, leaf springs, fuel tanks, trunks, airport luggage trolleys, seat covers, air conditioners, plastic pallets, bus components, agricultural mechanical components, gloves, composite components have been exported.

The composite components plant has exported various products such as garnish covers, dashboard boxes, dashboard covers, bus spoilers, military cabins to Korea and Japan. It has plans to develop more export products and make market expansion for ASEAN, Europe, Australia, and the US. — VNS