Chon Buri _ Triumph Motorcycles, one of the world's top producers of high-end motorcycles, yesterday opened its second plant in Thailand amid rising sales for the British company. ''We hope to open another one sometime soon,'' said Steve Sargent, managing director of the Thai operations.
The local unit, which has a capital base of 525 million baht, has already started operations in the second plant.
The British motorcycle icon, which competes with the likes of Harley Davidson of the United States and BMW of Germany, makes parts and components, while assembling the motorcycles in the Thai plant to be shipped outside Thailand.
The second plant, which was officially opened by Prince Andrew, will nearly double the production capacity of Triumph in Thailand from the current 50,000 units.
''Although I have never tried a motorcycle, my nephew,
Prince William, owns a Triumph and enjoys it,'' Prince Andrew said.(But it wasn't built in Thailand though
''This is a turnaround story ... and shows where [Triumph] will be in the future and this has partly been possible by such facilities as we have here in Thailand.''"
