Ford EV plant to be built in Indonesia

[kevino]

Ford Authority newsletter reports Ford will build an ev plant in Indonesia.
I have read elsewhere that Indonesia extracts ev raw materials at low cost.
This could be interesting.
JPD will no doubt be able to clarify.

[Franco Cozzo]

Indonesia also has lower labour costs than Thailand I believe,

Thailand has been getting salty at Indonesia competing for auto manufacturers business, they've also got mining.

Indonesia has been muscling in on manufacturing, People say Australian wages are too high for manufacturing, turns out Thailand's are too

[EBSXR6]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Indonesia also has lower labour costs than Thailand I believe,

Thailand has been getting salty at Indonesia competing for auto manufacturers business, they've also got mining.

Indonesia has been muscling in on manufacturing, People say Australian wages are too high for manufacturing, turns out Thailand's are too

I remember when the North American Free Trade Agreement was setup between Mexico, USA and Canada some companies setup in Mexico.
From what I have read when Labour costs got too high some have moved again.

My guess would be if conditions are perceived as good in the untapped African Countries they will be the next frontier for cheap labour.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by EBSXR6

I remember when the North American Free Trade Agreement was setup between Mexico, USA and Canada some companies setup in Mexico.
From what I have read when Labour costs got too high some have moved again.

My guess would be if conditions are perceived as good in the untapped African Countries they will be the next frontier for cheap labour.

China is making big moves in Africa, and Afghanistan,

While we were busy fighting the Taliban for 20 years, China was cutting business deals, handy when you're the world's biggest manufacturer of EVs and Afghanistan has one of the world's biggest deposits of lithium.

[Fordman1]

This will go down well with DJT

[Citroënbender]

There have been Russian arbitrageurs in Africa for several decades, my dearest was married to a small player for a number of years. I’m sure they will be happy enough to sit at a table with Chinese interests.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by kevino

Ford Authority newsletter reports Ford will build an ev plant in Indonesia.
I have read elsewhere that Indonesia extracts ev raw materials at low cost.
This could be interesting.
JPD will no doubt be able to clarify.

No, I know nothing, not connected with Ford.
Something like this was hinted a few years ago regarding Indonesia but I don’t think anyone took it seriously.
Wouldn’t it be funny if Indonesia became another manufacturing region like Thailand…..funny like a broken leg.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

China is making big moves in Africa, and Afghanistan,

While we were busy fighting the Taliban for 20 years, China was cutting business deals, handy when you're the world's biggest manufacturer of EVs and Afghanistan has one of the world's biggest deposits of lithium.

Greed, the WTO couldn’t leave it alone, they just had to invite China into western trading markets.

[jpd80]

It’s nickel refining….I thought battery makers were moving away from LiNMn batteries due to thermal runaway….


https://www.electrive.com/2024/12/05...0plant%20there.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by jpd80

No, I know nothing, not connected with Ford.
Something like this was hinted a few years ago regarding Indonesia but I don’t think anyone took it seriously.
Wouldn’t it be funny if Indonesia became another manufacturing region like Thailand…..funny like a broken leg.

Indonesia already has, same with Vietnam, they're all competing for manufacturing industry from Thailand.

The impact of low-priced imported goods being dumped in the market has affected more than 20 out of 45 industrial groups within the FTI last year. If no effective measures are taken this year, it is expected that more than 30 industrial groups may be affected, he warned.

Kriengkrai also noted that most of Thailand's industries are still traditional and do not meet modern global trends. They often operate as original equipment manufacturers, producing similar products as those from neighbouring countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. But Thailand faces disadvantages in terms of costs such as electricity, labour, and a shortage of production-supporting labour due to an aging population, leading to reliance on foreign labour, thus reducing competitiveness.

Labour-intensive industries, such as clothing and garments, have relocated to neighbouring countries where more labour is available.

Meanwhile, high-value and high-tech industries have not made significant investments in Thailand, with most of the investments going to Singapore or Malaysia. Currently, only a few FTI members – less than half – have managed to transition to higher value-added products, while the majority, primarily SMEs, have not been able to make this transition, he said.

He said all industrial sectors were at risk of further closures, because Thailand’s measures to protect domestic industries, compared to those in neighbouring countries like Indonesia, are not stringent enough or sufficient to slow the influx of low-priced and low-standard imported goods into Thailand, Kriengkrai added.

Foreign investors in Thailand are also affected. Recently, Suzuki Motor (Thailand) Co Ltd announced the closure of its production plant in Thailand by the end of 2025 due to declining sales and competition from Chinese EVs. Earlier, Tan Chong Subaru Automotive (Thailand) Co Ltd announced it would cease car production in Thailand by 2024 due to ongoing losses, affecting suppliers of parts and components for internal combustion engines, some of whom may also have to shut down.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs...uring/40038836

When Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD opened its first Southeast Asian factory in Thailand earlier this month, the nation of 66 million people basked in the limelight and won praise for its industrial vision. What, however, received less attention was an announcement by another big automobile manufacturer - Suzuki Motor - just a few weeks earlier that it will shutter a Thai factory that produced as many as 60,000 cars a year. The Japanese automaker's move mirrors those by scores of other companies in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy which is bearing the brunt of cheap imports from China and a slide in industrial competitiveness due to factors including rising energy prices and an ageing workforce. Thailand has witnessed nearly 2,000 factory closures in the last year, upending its manufacturing sector that contributes nearly a quarter of its GDP. It is weighing on the $500 billion economy and on workers such as Chanpen Suetrong.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/busin...e-imports.html

Remember what they did to our manufacturing industry?

Good, taste your own medicine Thailand.

[kevino]

Thought we were told car plants needed at least 100000 production a year
Note that Suzuki plant being closed made only 60000

Hope Suzuki can maintain strength via their Indian production and sales there

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by kevino

Thought we were told car plants needed at least 100000 production a year
Note that Suzuki plant being closed made only 60000

Hope Suzuki can maintain strength via their Indian production and sales there

The thing is the labour cost of physically assembling a car isn't big compared to the cost of firstly developing it.

I've been told many times it's about 10% of the assembly cost for the labour component per vehicle but as automation increases this has dropped.

Last video I watched of one of the newest assembly plants in the world really only had manual work at the installation of wiring looms, bumpers, one or two at max body parts etc as iirc even the doors were robotically fitted...and of course the paint finish QC.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by kevino

I have read elsewhere that Indonesia extracts ev raw materials at low cost.

Not Really.

Indonesia, rather classicly, backed the wrong horse.

They bet the house on Nickel, and now nobody wants to buy it. So they want SOMEBODY to come and build EVs that use NiMH

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Not Really.

Indonesia, rather classicly, backed the wrong horse.

They bet the house on Nickel, and now nobody wants to buy it. So they want SOMEBODY to come and build EVs that use NiMH

This, nickel cobalt batteries can have big issues with thermal runaway.
Manufacturers are now pushing much safer Lithium phosphate batteries.

Perhaps parking garages start banning BEVs with batteries prone to thermal runaway?
Would help avoid some costly insurance payouts…..

[kevino]

Explain
Thermal runaway

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by kevino

Explain
Thermal runaway

[jpd80]

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by kevino

Explain
Thermal runaway

Its corporate PR speak for when your EV catches on fire,

It was like when Holden recalled the RG Colorado, because of a 'thermal incident',

Holden Colorado a fire risk
More than 26,000 Holden Colorado utes and SUVs recalled to remedy potential fire hazard

The recall, which covers MY2014 and MY2015 versions of Holden's Thai-made RG Colorado and RG Colorado 7 vehicles with VINs ranging between MMU145DK0EH600244 and MMU156FK0FH616228, follows customer reports of five "thermal incidents".

"The Alternator B+ electrical cable may have been assembled in contact with a steel bracket at the battery tray," says Holden's recall notice on the federal government's Product Safety Recalls Australia website.

In English, that means our shitbox ute catches on fire because of how we ran the wiring loom, and the main positive cable rubs and dead shorts directly to ground.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by kevino

Explain
Thermal runaway

Hence, why I don't like seeing electric bikes on trains.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by EBSXR6

I remember when the North American Free Trade Agreement was setup between Mexico, USA and Canada some companies setup in Mexico.
From what I have read when Labour costs got too high some have moved again.

My guess would be if conditions are perceived as good in the untapped African Countries they will be the next frontier for cheap labour.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-...ined/104614270

caveat emptor lol

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by jpd80

I loved the soothing music and the CGI characters standing next to the fire, while birds fly happily in the background

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

I loved the soothing music and the CGI characters standing next to the fire, while birds fly happily in the background

Elon Musk will fix it, don’t worry. Lol

I just want some of that $500 Billion “of his” to go towards getting his teeth whitened, or get that fluffy teenager moustache fixed.

But that’s just me.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Fordman1

Elon Musk will fix it, don’t worry. Lol

I just want some of that $500 Billion “of his” to go towards getting his teeth whitened, or get that fluffy teenager moustache fixed.

But that’s just me.

I hear one of his top priorities as part of DOGE is to get rid of those reports into EV deaths
(Teslas involved in 40 of the 45 under review) let alone government delays in self driving approval.

Nothing to see here, no conflict of interest

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by jpd80

I hear one of his top priorities as part of DOGE is to get rid of those reports into EV deaths
(Teslas involved in 40 of the 45 under review) let alone government delays in self driving approval.

Nothing to see here, no conflict of interest

Oh wait, there’ll be some Government Contracts to increase his billions too, won’t there ?

I just wish his “fat guts”, “yellow teeth”, and “shitty teenager moustache” got “up to speed” for him to be a top class looking Oligarch.

I mean he did get a hair transplant years ago , good on him.