Private sector calls for locally-produced NGV bus purchase to boost economy

[webfact]

Private sector calls for locally-produced NGV bus purchase to boost economy



BANGKOK: -- The private sector has called on the military junta to consider locally produced NGV-powered buses rather than imported vehicles in the new bus fleet to be procured by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), the state city bus service operator.

Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) auto industry group spokesman Surapong Paisitpattanapong made the call to the

National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) as the BMTA was going to propose its plan to procure more than 3,000 NGV-powered buses to give services in the capital.

He reasoned that buying locally I produced vehicles would help to bolster economy.

He said the term of references (TOR) to be announced by the BMTA in the purchase bid should be open to locally-produced NGV vehicles to enter the bid.

He said Thailand could produce over 700 buses per year, and the TOR could help boost local vehicle sales and hence the economy.

The call was made after the FTI’s Automotive Industry Club slashed its projection for Thailand’s auto production this year from 2.4 million to 2.2 million units due to declined local sales.

The BMTA’s NGV bus procurement plan is part of the eight-year-infrastructure development project worth 100 billion baht that will be proposed to the NCPO meeting for consideration next week.

It is aimed to enhance Thailand’s competitiveness and improve public transport.

(Pic: file photo)

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/private-sector-calls-locally-produced-ngv-bus-purchase-boost-economy/?

-- Thai PBS 2014-07-24

[kimamey]

There's a difference between allowing local companies to bid and just deciding to use local companies. The first makes sense, the second doesn't. Particularly when the Thai economy is so strong compared to many western countries according to some on here.

[ChrisY1]

Could the local industry, and by local, and as I understand from the OP, Thai owned production lines, produce these busses to the required specification?

IMO, they would certainly need overseeing from an international source....both in manufacture and financial management, to avoid the danger of the project being incompleted due to cash flow issues......as so often happens here.

[Pib]

Hopefully if allowing locally produced buses only companies which could provide long term parts support would be considered. Would hate to buy a bunch of locally produced buses which the contract winner geared-up to build the buses but didn't have the business/financial stability to provide long term parts support. Vehicles do start aging and parts failing right after you buy them.

[nowork114]

Next time I'm in Bang Pong, I have to tell about this to the guys owning a garage there. They are refurbishing (almost making new) buses and it's quite amazing what they can build from a total wreck. They make really nice comfy buses (single or double deckers) with all the crazy paintwork all over them. From outside they look really nice, but I would not want to sit in any of them - they use 40+ year scrapped buses chassis to build on ...

[Johnnie99]

Locally produced buses, locally 'trained' drivers ... death rate increases ...

[Oziex1]

With design brief dot point 1

• Brakes to be of a quality so as not to fail on downhill run.

[BSJ]

Even if a local company can compete they would be using all Chinese mechanicals on a chinese chassis to be in the race. Even the bodies may be assembled here from Chinese bus body parts

[brfsa2]

Hopefully if allowing locally produced buses only companies which could provide long term parts support would be considered. Would hate to buy a bunch of locally produced buses which the contract winner geared-up to build the buses but didn't have the business/financial stability to provide long term parts support. Vehicles do start aging and parts failing right after you buy them.

exactly... remember Tiger motorcycles? I still see some police running on them.

make sense that if they cant provide long-term-support, then it will just be another waste of money.

[IsaanUSA]

Even if a local company can compete they would be using all Chinese mechanicals on a chinese chassis to be in the race. Even the bodies may be assembled here from Chinese bus body parts

Is this a true statement or are you just making this up? Link to source?

[IsaanUSA]

Maybe this is the company : http://www.gnvmagazine.com/eng/noticia-thailand_starts_to_produce_ngv_buses-381

During the month of January of this year, the company Sunlong Motors Thailand will begin to assemble buses driven with natural gas, in order to fortify the their supply for its clients in Thailand.

Initially, the joint venture between the Thailand company Bestlin Group and its pair of the People's Republic of China, Xiamen Golden Dragoon Van Co, contemplates the production of 40 buses in approximately 20 days, and their delivery to the private operators who act with the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA).

The industrial plant of Sunlong has a manufacture capacity of 120 buses monthly, and around 40% of the units will contain locally produced components. The rest of the necessary equipment for the conversion will be imported from China, because it is not available in the Thailander market.

This initiative is part of the strategy of Xiamen Golden Dragon to extend its businesses in other countries of the region through Thailand. In this sense, the idea of the company is to send the vehicles produced there to Malaysia, India and Singapore.

Sunlong has signed contracts to provide 2,500 buses with natural gas to the BMTA and 1,500 to private operators. Until the moment, Bestlin Group, official importer of the Chinese company, delivered 86 units and will have to do the same with 600 buses more for the BMTA during the 2008.

[rametindallas]

With design brief dot point 1

• Brakes to be of a quality so as not to fail on downhill run.

Not too many 'downhill runs' in Bangkok but it would be nice if the brakes could stop from them from running bicyclists down.

[rametindallas]

Even if you bought the best buses in the world, if you don't maintain them and choose safe drivers, it doesn't matter how much you spent on the buses. This seems like a good opportunity for some Thai companies to joint-venture with experienced foreign manufactures to develop a locally made bus industry so that Thailand can export them to keep the supply chain/spare parts businesses going. Thailand should have had all the 'one tablet, one child' tablets made here, also. Certainly the talent and capacity exists. It just needs (very) strong oversight by the BMTA (I don't know if the BMTA is capable of honestly overseeing anything, though. Think fire code enforcement).

[Cake Monster]

Locally produced NGV buses will really make the Thai economy go with a boom.

[Payboy]

[Bkungbank]

Made in China was very bad buses even 1 Mil Baht but not worth for maintaince , sound terrible sitting inside the bus like going to break into 2 pieces.

Really support locally made as hand made and very good most of the tour buses that bring us to border are locally assembly with used engine from Japan but the main problems with NGV buses are the filling gas station as you can see taxi line long que and can you imagine 3 ,000 buese have to refilled daily?