BUKIT MERTAJAM – Local Hot Wheels collectors can look forward to a 1:64 scaled model of the first national car Proton Saga in commemoration of Mattel Inc’s 40th anniversary in Malaysia.
Mattel Inc president and chief commercial officer Steve Totzke said the Proton Saga model, which will be sold by the end of 2023, will be based on the first Saga edition, which will then be part of the Hot Wheels collection.
“This partnership aims to preserve the heritage of Mattel and Proton as the two continue to provide high-quality products to fans of all ages around the world,” he said at Mattel’s 40th anniversary celebration here today.
According to Totzke, the Saga is the first car from a Malaysian automotive brand, which plays an important role in the nation’s economic growth that resulted in Malaysians being able to own cars.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported that Mattel Inc expects its local unit, Mattel Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MMSB), to produce over half a billion Hot Wheels cars per annum by 2025 – a 20% increase in output following its expansion exercise which is slated for completion in January next year.
Senior vice-president for global manufacturing and Asia operations Soo Teck Heng said MMSB currently operates the world’s largest Hot Wheels manufacturing plant and is the world’s only manufacturer of Hot Wheels singles, the top-selling toy globally in 2021.
“Currently, the plant has an average output capacity of approximately nine million cars per week or about 440 million cars annually, and the 20% increase in production output will translate to over half a billion cars.
“We pick Malaysia due to the degree of automation and innovation that it has, coupled with the talented human resources.”
Currently, MMSB employs almost 3,900 workers, and its plant expansion is estimated to increase the total workforce by about 10% to nearly 4,300 workers.
Soo said this expansion would also benefit Mattel Development and Tooling Sdn Bhd, which is Mattel’s second plant in Malaysia with a state-of-the-art facility for product development, digital model making, mould design, and manufacturing, that was established in 1985. – The Vibes, December 6, 2022
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