MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Taiwanese company gets deal to build electric buses in Paraguay

The bus manufacturing plant in Paraguay is expected to generate some 2,600 job opportunities

Paraguayan authorities signed a memorandum of understanding with Taiwan's Master Transportation to produce electric buses for the South American country. The arrangements were made during President Santiago Peña's tour of the Island with Industry and Commerce Minister Javier Giménez, who signed on behalf of the visiting delegation. Company President Ting-Fa Wu represented the producers of the DMIT e-Bus.

The Taiwanese firm plans to establish the first manufacturing plant for electric bus chassis and fast-charging bodies in Paraguay.

“This could be a new public transportation system for the Metropolitan Area of Paraguay and of course their intention to go and install an electric bus factory in our country, for Paraguay, Mercosur, and Latin American countries. This is not simply putting batteries, chassis, and tires, it is the possibility of transforming the lives of millions of Paraguayans and I set as an objective to improve the public transportation system and that in these 4 years, we can leave a public transportation that really provides dignity and fair treatment to Paraguayans,” Peña explained.

This initiative aims to strengthen the local electric bus supply chain and create employment opportunities by producing high-quality electric buses. In addition, the company will establish comprehensive after-sales services in Paraguay, including maintenance services, parts supply, and online technical support, among other perks such as intelligent traffic and fleet management systems.

The Industry Ministry will provide incentive measures to assist Master Transportation in establishing its plant, including site selection, infrastructure, local suppliers, tax incentives, and job training.

“For us, it was very important to attract the attention of Taiwanese companies, the government to government relationship is very good, but the great challenge is how we attract companies in the technology area as well as in the industrial sector and that they see that Paraguay, beyond the diplomatic relationship, has a very attractive offer for the establishment of investments,” Peña underlined. He also highlighted Paraguay's macroeconomic and political stability.

“We want Paraguay to be the most sustainable country in the world, to make a transition towards what is electric mobility and public transportation, it is too important a step,” Peña also pointed out.

Master Transportation's plant in Paraguay is expected to boost the country's bus replacement program and extend its production to other Southern Common Market (Mercosur) countries.

“With this, the last stage of the installation of Master Bus as an electric bus manufacturing industry in Paraguay is completed. We are extremely happy because it not only means employment for our young people but also an industry that will revolutionize the transportation sector,” Minister Giménez explained.

Master Transportation executives have made four visits to Paraguay and now insist that the company is ready to introduce the latest and safest fast-charging electric buses in addition to high-tech intelligent traffic systems. The initiative would help Paraguay's sustainability program.

The bus manufacturing plant in Paraguay is expected to generate some 2,600 job opportunities on the labor market plus 14 internship opportunities. “These outstanding students have demonstrated that Paraguayans are as humble and progressive as Taiwanese. Therefore, we are even more confident in promoting this project,” Ting-Fa Wu said.