Saha has around 300 companies under its umbrella. Many are joint ventures with Japanese businesses, including health products manufacturer Lion and apparel maker Wacoal Holdings. Saha also has three distribution companies but partnered with Seino to develop more in-depth logistics expertise in expectation of greater regional economic integration after the ASEAN Economic Community is formed at the end of the year.
"Laying out a strong distribution network will be indispensable as we expand throughout the ASEAN countries," Saha Group Chairman Boonsithi Chokwatana told a news conference here.
Thailand will be Seino's second Southeast Asian outpost, after Malaysia. President Yoshitaka Taguchi said the country will become a "modern distribution hub for Asia" and affirmed Seino's desire to be a player in the region's logistics industry and partner with such Japanese businesses as automakers.