Toyoda Gosei to Enhance Production Capacity for Safety Systems in Brazil

Growing sales of airbags and steering wheels

KIYOSU, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:7282) will enhance the production capacity at its Group company in Brazil, GDBR Industria e Comercio de Componentes Quimicos e de Borracha Ltda. (GDBR), in order to keep pace with the growing sales of airbags and other safety systems in South America.

Toyoda Gosei will expand the GDBR plant building and install airbag and steering wheel production equipment to raise production capacity, while also seeking to improve productivity by optimizing the layout of the entire manufacturing facility.

The Toyoda Gosei Group began producing automotive parts at GBDR, its first location in Brazil, in 2015. Since then, it has increased production and sales centered on interior and exterior products and door and window sealing rubber products (weatherstrips). It will continue to meet the needs of automakers and grow its business in the South American market, where sustained growth is expected, with a special focus on safety systems, one of the company’s major products.

Outline of GDBR
Established	March 2013
Location	Itapetininga, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Capital	BRL90 million → BRL118 million after capital increase
Land area	Approx. 220,000 m2
Bldg. area	Approx. 18,000 m2 → Approx. 22,800 m2 after expansion
Products	Safety systems (driver & passenger-side airbags, side airbags, steering wheels)
	Interior products (instrument panel components)
	Weatherstrips (glass runs, door weatherstrips)
No. of employees	449 (as of January 31, 2023)
New equipment	Airbag assembly machines, steering wheel molding/assembly machines
Investment amount	BRL56 million (approx. JPY1.4 billion calculated at BRL1 = JPY25)