Mitsubishi Motors Thailand said it plans to rehire up to 1,000 workers in the fourth quarter in anticipation of stronger demand.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Company president Nobuyuki Murahashi told local reporters “there are signs of rising orders domestically and from abroad”.
MMT now expects its domestic sales to reach 22,700 units in 2009, up from 19,200 units in 2008. Exports are also expected to be higher this year than the 165,000 units sold in 2008, helped by strengthening demand and falling inventories in the Middle East, ASEAN and Australia. Demand in Europe will take longer to recover, Murahashi added.
The company laid off around 1,100 workers in the fourth quarter of last year and a further 330 accepted voluntary redundancy, at the height of the current economic recession. The company expects to return one of its two plants in Laemchabang, near Chonburi, to two shifts by the end of the year.
On Friday, Toyota Motor Thailand’s vice-chairman Ninnart Chaithirapinyo told local media he expected a 22% drop in the domestic vehicle market in 2009 to 480,000 units, compared with over 615,000 units in 2008. First-half sales fell by 28% to 231,428 units.
Tony Pugliese
