Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., a Tier One automotive supplier based in Japan, announced it will establish a new automotive diecasting operation in Thailand by year’s end. Aisin Thai Automotive Casting Co. is an estimated $53-million investment that will begin producing aluminum diecastings for timing chain cases, waterpumps, oil pumps, and intake manifolds, among other products, late next year.

It will be Aisin Seiki’s second plant in Thailand’s Prachinburi province. Siam Aisin Co. Ltd. produces brake, auto body, and engine components for automakers across the Asean region. The new plant is projected as a separation of Siam Asin’s engine components product line into an independent organization, in keeping with growing regional demand for compact vehicles.

Construction will begin in December, and manufacturing is planned to start in November 2009. In addition to diecasting aluminum components, Aisin Thai Automotive Casting will machine parts and produce automotive assemblies.

Long-range plans call for Aisin Thai Automotive Casting to expand its product line to include drivetrain components, including manual transmissions. Such products are now produced by a local subsidiary of Aisin group’s Aisin AI Co., Ltd.

Also recently, Aisin Seiki announced its third joint-venture project with Toyota Boshoku Corp., to manufacture automotive seat components and other auto interior products at a new plant in TBAI Poland Sp.z o.o., Nowogrodziec, Poland.