KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — National car maker, Proton Holdings Bhd (Proton) has spent over RM200 million for the construction of its new stamping facility in its Tanjung Malim plant, which is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2022.
In a statement today, Proton said the facility would house a new Superlarge press machine to further enhance the company’s stamping abilities.
“More significantly, it is part of Proton’s overarching plan to increase the levels of localisation, both for current and future models,” it said, adding that the new facility is part of the company’s plan to make Tanjung Malim a world-class manufacturing plant.
“This is on top of the RM1.2 billion that was spent previously (for the previous expansion phase). The new press will allow for the stamping of much larger pieces of bodywork and other parts,” it said.
Chief executive officer Dr Li Chunrong said the new addition is part of Proton’s strategy to ensure its continuous growth.
“This means having the ability to build more variants, but more importantly, to be able to build them to the highest standards as well as to incorporate new technology.
“We are very clear about the direction and growth for Proton. While Malaysia will always be our primary market, we must be able to compete beyond our shores,” he said.
According to Li, the new facility is especially important for the company as it means Proton could do far more localisation, going forward.
“This will have a spill-over effect which will see us engaging with more vendors and further growing the local automotive ecosystem,” he said.
