PETALING JAYA : Proton Holdings Bhd’s (Proton) electric-vehicle (EV) production plant is slated to commence production next month and is projected to create over 200 new jobs, the automaker says.
The plant, situated near Tanjung Malim, is currently at 90.4% completion, with equipment installation at 83.5%, and overall progress at 86.9%, Proton said in a statement yesterday.
Upon completion, the plant will produce multiple models from Proton’s Global Modular Architecture, starting with the Proton e.MAS 7 and followed by Proton e.MAS 5, which is currently a nationwide public showcase.
The plant’s layout will be able to produce up to 45,000 units a year, an increase from initial planned capacity of 20,000 units, according to the national car manufacturer.
Each line will be able to add several stations capable of supporting platform variations and multi-model production.
Besides that, technology such as a manufacturing execution system and warehouse management system are already in place to allow for smooth expansion without the need for major redesigns.
The plant also achieved a key milestone recently with a successful “machine try out”, which saw the first car body trialled at the factory.
Proton’s head of manufacturing engineering Wan Yousry Mohamed stressed that the purpose of the trial was to constantly assess the readiness of equipment, and the plant is currently near the finishing line on preparing zones for equipment installation and integration.
