Sweden’s Autoliv expands to Vietnam to build $154 mln airbag cushion plant

Autoliv, Inc., a global leader in automotive safety systems, announced Thursday its plan to build a new state-of-the-art airbag cushion and fabric plant in Vietnam to serve Asia.

“The investment in the new textile facility is in response to customer demands and is intended to meet expanded future airbag production needs for the growing Asian market,” the Swedish manufacturer said from Stockholm, where it is headquartered.

The new facility, the firm’s first investment in Vietnam, will be built in Amata City Ha Long Industrial Park in the northern province of Quang Ninh, said Autoliv (New York Stock Exchange: ALV, and Shanghai Stock Exchange: ALIVsdb).

"We continuously look for ways to improve our footprint and reduce our costs structurally, and the new plant will complement our existing footprint in Southeast Asia,” said Colin Naughton, president of Autoliv Asia.

“With the significant growth in demand for our restraint system products in Asia, Autoliv Vietnam will play an increasingly important role in meeting our customer demands," he stressed.

The facility will showcase Autoliv's manufacturing capabilities utilizing manufacturing 4.0 concepts by integrating new technologies into the operations. The firm did not disclose the investment capital. However, the facility is worth $154 million, according to data from Quang Ninh province.

The site area will be approximately nine hectares, and the new production facility is expected to begin production of airbag cushions for our airbag module assembly facilities in Asia by late 2025. When fully operational, the plant can employ up to 2,000 people.

Quang Ninh, along the Vietnam-China border and part of the Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh development triangle, is emerging as a new production base.

In industrial development, Quang Ninh is focusing on high-tech sectors like automobile and electronics manufacturing. To attract investors, the province is prioritizing infrastructure development, including building an expressway running across the province to the Mong Cai Border Gate on the Vietnam-China border.