Sumitomo Riko advances automotive parts production capacity

Tokyo – Japan’s Sumitomo Riko has announced the opening of a new automotive parts in Vietnam and plans to expand production in Mexico.

In Vietnam, the Japanese group has officially opened a new manufacturing facility in Vinh Phuc province to produce water hoses, air hoses and fuel hoses for automotive applications.

The facility was officially inaugurated in December 2022 having started operations a few months earlier, said a recent Sumitomo Riko announcement. 

Output from the Yen2.4 billion (€16.6 million) facility will, in particular, go for export, according to Shigeo Kimata, president of Sumitomo Riko's Vietnam operation.

"While the world is accelerating its shift to electric vehicles and other electric vehicles, rubber hoses for cooling batteries will remain an indispensable product in the future,” he said.

In a separate statement, Sumitomo Riko said it was investing nearly $19 million (€17.5 million) in its production facility in Querétaro, Mexico to support the automotive industry.

Due on-stream in December, the expansion will increase capacity for the production of antivibration rubber parts for the car industry in Querétaro – an automotive industry hub in Mexico.

The project will expand the Mexican site by 10,000 square metres to 22,000 square metres and its capacity by ‘1.5 times’, said the Japanese manufacturer.

The investment, it added, is in response to growing demand from the production of SUVs in North America – many parts for which are sourced from Mexico.