GS Yuasa Corp. has announced plans to produce batteries for forklifts at a Thai plant to be operated jointly with a local car-maker.

The facility is scheduled to go online next Northern Hemisphere spring with an initial capacity of roughly 200,000 units. Output will be increased to 400,000 units by 2013, or enough to supply about 16,000 forklifts.

According to a company statement, GS Yuasa currently holds slightly under a 30% share of the market in South East Asia and Oceania, but hopes to raise that percentage to 40%.

The added production will come from a new JPY500 million (US$4.71 million) plant in Chachoengsao Province, located east of Bangkok. GS Yuasa Siam Industry Ltd is a joint venture comprising GS Yuasa International Ltd. (60%) and Siam Motors Co (40%).

Last year, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) overtook GS Yuasa Power Supply Ltd as the largest shareholder in Nippon Yusoki Co Ltd, one of Japan’s leading electric forklift manufacturers  (Forkliftaction.com News #327).