Supachai Suthamphanich, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, visited Toyota auto parts assembly plants in Samut Prakan province to monitor the impact of flooding on manufacturing and exports. Lalida Perdviwattana, Deputy Government Spokesperson, said the visit extends monitoring to the upstream production sector, particularly the automotive industry, one of Thailand's key export industries with a supply chain linking numerous parts makers and operators. Supachai said the three Toyota plants were not directly affected by the floods, but production was affected by some suppliers in the production chain that were hit, causing parts to reach the production process irregularly. She therefore instructed the Ministry of Industry to monitor the entire system to identify which points were affected, which raw materials or parts could become bottlenecks, and where the government could help coordinate or resolve constraints so production can return as quickly as possible. For short-term measures, relevant agencies will visit Amata Industrial Estate to examine problems of suppliers unable to deliver parts into the production process, and coordinate with industrial estates and other key production bases in other areas. Monitoring will not be limited to the automotive industry but will cover food and other related industries throughout the chain. For long-term measures, operators' proposals will be considered at the policy level, including requests for the government to consider import tax exemptions for machinery, equipment and spare parts needed to repair flood-affected plants, and consideration of additional tax deductions for repair and restoration expenses for machinery and plants, which are still under consideration and will be discussed with relevant agencies. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce has set up a Single Command and war room to monitor the situation of goods and distribution nationwide, and to gather examples of industrial areas, warehouses and operators that have managed the situation well, in order to maintain the confidence of trading partners, investors and foreign operators in Thailand's production and logistics systems.
Toyota Motor Corp.Flood-hit suppliers are delivering parts irregularly to Toyota's Samut Prakan plants, disrupting production.
