Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. announced it will establish a new plant in Guangdong Province, China, to enhance its production network for airbags and steering wheels, its major products, in China, where the automobile market continues to grow.

The new plant will be established as a branch plant of Toyoda Gosei Group company Toyoda Gosei (Foshan) Auto Parts Co., Ltd., with production planned to commence the summer of 2023. The expansion will increase its sales of airbags, for which there is growing demand due to strengthened safety systems in China, and the increasing automobile production in south China, the company says.

Toyoda Gosei says the plant will be established as a “smart plant” that pursues efficient and environmentally-friendly manufacturing. The status of processes from production to delivery will be grasped in real time with the use of IoT and AI. To contribute to carbon neutrality, the plant will use energy-saving production equipment and renewable energy. By 2030, this will reduce CO₂ emissions by more than 50% compared with conventional equipment, the company says.

At the start of operations expected in the summer of 2023, the plant will initially employ approximately 280 people. Products will include airbags, steering wheels and pop-up hood actuators. The facility will feature collaborative robots, automatic guided vehicles and solar panels.