26 February 1998: Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. of Japan had cut production of automobile glass at its Indonesian and Thai units by 50%, while also reducing the number of employees at the Thai unit to 500 from…
26 February 1998: Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. of Japan had cut production of automobile glass at its Indonesian and Thai units by 50%, while also reducing the number of employees at the Thai unit to 500 from the previous 700, it said. Asahi Glass had also suspended construction of a new plant in Indonesia, reports say, adding that the company“s actions were in response to lower production by car makers in Thailand and Indonesia. Automobile glass is not the only sector of car components making financial cutbacks; other Japanese car component producers such as Bridgestone Corp., Japan“s top car tyre maker, are also cutting production in Southeast Asia due to the economic crisis in the region. Bridgestone had reduced production at its Thai unit to 60% of capacity and cut output at its Indonesian unit to less than 80% of capacity.