Thailand will play a crucial role in shaping that future. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Detroit of Asia,’ the country is Southeast Asia’s largest auto hub and second largest economy. It exports half of the vehicles it produces every year to more than 100 countries around the world. Many of the world’s largest automotive suppliers have found a second home there.

“On a global level, one of our key directions is to shape the future of mobility,” says Joseph Hong, Managing Director of Robert Bosch Limited in Thailand. “We’re pushing on the different aspects of future mobility in terms of connectivity, automation and electrification. Thailand is the largest automotive hub in the region and thus an area that we watch closely to see how the market and industry develops.”

Robert Bosch Limited opened its second manufacturing plant and first R&D facility in Thailand in 2017 to further tap into the country’s industry expertise and commitment to advanced technologies. Both of the recent additions are located in the Rayong province of Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). The factory incorporates several Industry 4.0 solutions and is among Bosch’s most modern production facilities. Meanwhile, dozens of engineers studied in mechanical and automotive engineering are working on next-generation gasoline injection systems at the research facility in cooperation with BOSCH headquarters in Germany.

“Thailand offers a lot of competitive advantages for auto players,” Joseph says. “It’s strategically located, it has a great logistics setup and it boasts a large pool of specialists that have already been developed in the automotive industry.”

While Thailand has a lot to offer, the global automotive industry is facing huge challenges. Lockdowns put in place to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted supply chains and put global vehicle sales on course for a 14% on-year decline in 2020, according to a forecast in April. Yet, Robert Bosch Limited sees an opportunity.

“This drives us to think of new ideas and try new things,” Joseph adds. “We’re already adapting our approaches to function on a remote working set-up by digitalizing many of our processes so that even with our people spread all over we can still function effectively and efficiently.”