ASEAN for harmonization

ASEAN for harmonization

BANGKOK (Reuter): Automotive and components manufacturers met and agreed to harmonize auto part production in an attempt to promote and support the car industry throughout the region.

"All members concluded that our first priority is to harmonize the standard of auto parts production in each member country to enable to future export to other countries outside ASEAN," Ninnart Chaithirapinyo, acting president of the ASEAN Automotive Federation (AAF), told reporters late on Friday.

AAF, which consists of automotive and parts manufacturers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand, held a meeting here on Friday.

AAF members said the initial step was to enhance safety and pollution standards in auto parts in each of the countries, Ninnart said.

"The move will enable the exchange of car parts with the same standard among these countries," he said.

The AAF will also try to diversify production of auto parts in the region to achieve the most efficiency in part production, by making sure they are produced in the country that can make the part most efficiently, said Herman Z. Latif of the Indonesian Automotive Federation.

Annual car sales in ASEAN countries are expected to reach 2.0 million units by the year 2000 from about 1.3 million in 1995, he said.