Is Australia the first.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Oakville Assembly and Windsor engine plant. Plus others. They make the Edge etc. I would say full manufacture but with Ford plants across the river in the US it's a fair chance stampings etc get shipped there.

Of course Windsor engine plant! in Windsor Ontario!

[4stanger]

Once upon a time Australia used to build trains here to.
Queensland Rail are now updating their suburban fleet that was built in regional Queensland (Walkers in Maryborough)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electr...ueensland_Rail) with Indian built trains https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Ge...n_Rollingstock and there have been issues with build quality, about six months ago they were advertising for specialist trades for this repair project (so it was explained to me through their recruitment agent) near Ipswich. It appears they still have teething problems with these Indian built trains http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rc...UAxHIQ6H5bEfQg

[Vesper Martini]

Bombardier that I mentioned in a previous Post build Trains in Dandenong VIC.

But they lost a recent bid to build 65 new trains to a Chinese company which will apparently do a 60% local build, article below suggests they wont delivery on quality

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vic...f9eb8ea45f7dbf

Bombardier also build trams, but I think some have been sourced from France recently

[roKWiz]

We still have a healthy locally produced truck manufacturing industry here with Kenworth in Melbourne and Mack (Volvo) in Brisbane.
Kenworth trucks Aust. have custom built their models since 1971 using locally sourced suppliers, cabs, glass, frame rails etc. engines of course were US imports as were Mack trucks.
Kenworth continued with the Aussie built K200 long after the yanks gave up on cabovers (due to their relaxation of length laws)

K.T.A still operate independently to their parent company Pacific Car Co.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by 4stanger

Once upon a time Australia used to build trains here to.

I grew up with Tullochs just down the road, Clyde engineering and Commeng not to far way. Commonwealth Engineering built some ripper sounding Diesels.

[xrystl]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

Only the cars.

Yes same as Ford owned - the Truck business is going great guns as they also own Mack , UD and Renault trucks.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

We still have a healthy locally produced truck manufacturing industry here with Kenworth in Melbourne and Mack (Volvo) in Brisbane.
Kenworth trucks Aust. have custom built their models since 1971 using locally sourced suppliers, cabs, glass, frame rails etc. engines of course were US imports as were Mack trucks.
Kenworth continued with the Aussie built K200 long after the yanks gave up on cabovers (due to their relaxation of length laws)

K.T.A still operate independently to their parent company Pacific Car Co.

We build trucks here?? Who keen Hopefully we can keep that...

I know it's all over, but such a shame we couldn't keep manufacturing (all kinds) jobs in Australia. I wonder if there will ever be a time (20/30/40/50/100 years time), when these jobs might start coming back to Australia.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by minheim

Yes sadly we have lost the manufacturing base of automobiles and will probably never get it back. Indeed we will have the first Toyota plant in the world to be shut down if I recall correctly.

Incorrect, Australia will be the 2nd.. NZ was the first.

[Bossxr8]

NZ only assembled CKD kits though right?

[Smoke Pursuit]

The only way to continue building cars here would have been to pay workers $15 an hour like they pay some of the highly skilled workers in Thailand.

At the other end of the spectrum you have the likes of Ford US who build cars based on volume and automation, as per why their build quality is so appalling.

Can't really have it all sadly.

[CyberWasp]

Are any of the companies that build trucks here Australian owned or are they all subsidiary's of foreign owned companies?

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

Are any of the companies that build trucks here Australian owned or are they all subsidiary's of foreign owned companies?

Nope, once upon a time there was RFW built in Chester Hill, Sydney all Australian.
no wait just googled them https://rfwtrucks.com.au/ possibly yes.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

NZ only assembled CKD kits though right?

I think Ford owned a plant that made the Alloy Wheels In Plunket ave where the Ford "kit" assembly plant was.
It was sold off may still be operating?

Not sure if that passes for manufacturing cars locally though

[ronwest]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Nope, once upon a time there was RFW built in Chester Hill, Sydney all Australian.
no wait just googled them https://rfwtrucks.com.au/ possibly yes.

Used to drive past them to my gf's place.

Also, Leader trucks were manufactured in Toowoomba. I'm not sure what "manufactured" meant but they were ugly enough to be home-grown.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Smoke Pursuit

The only way to continue building cars here would have been to pay workers $15 an hour like they pay some of the highly skilled workers in Thailand.

At the other end of the spectrum you have the likes of Ford US who build cars based on volume and automation, as per why their build quality is so appalling.

Can't really have it all sadly.

It's not the wages that is the issue, that only makes up a small fraction of total costs. It's the energy bills, OH&S compliance and other red tape, environmental protection, taxes etc that makes manufacturing here more expensive. Auto workers in the US and Germany are on higher wages than Australian auto workers. But they have the luxury of huge build numbers to spread those costs over.

[asagaai]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

It's not the wages that is the issue, that only makes up a small fraction of total costs. It's the energy bills, OH&S compliance and other red tape, environmental protection, taxes etc that makes manufacturing here more expensive. Auto workers in the US and Germany are on higher wages than Australian auto workers. But they have the luxury of huge build numbers to spread those costs over.

The energy bills.

When you think that Australia has such vast coal reserves, sun in outback, and one of the largest deposits of Uranium, something is seriously amiss that high energy bills was a factor in this Country loosing the vehicle manufacturing industry.

[Bossxr8]

Used to be the second cheapest, now its the 4th most expensive. Renewables mostly caused this.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by ronwest

Used to drive past them to my gf's place.

Also, Leader trucks were manufactured in Toowoomba. I'm not sure what "manufactured" meant but they were ugly enough to be home-grown.

Yeah certainly both were ugly. Leader cabovers used Aussie produced Mack F series cabs, they were all fibreglass so never rusted unlike the US metal cabs.


I don't reckon it is the renewables technology itself causing this, seems to me it's all the people trying to make money out of renewables, like the carbon traders and greedy gov, authorities reselling it.
Everything now involves bl**dy middle men. No wonder the manufacturers are leaving.

[uniacidz]

Originally Posted by mac_man_luke

UK has pretty much lost theres as well i believe

Sorry, wrong.

Complete opposite

17 year high for British car manufacturing as global demand hits record levels
26 JANUARY 2017 #SMMT NEWS #UK MANUFACTURING

https://www.smmt.co.uk/2017/01/17-ye...record-levels/

[ebxr8240]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Used to be the second cheapest, now its the 4th most expensive. Renewables mostly caused this.

Selling them off .. I wander if this is part of the problem ? Don't ever hear about gov dept being sold off? funny that !! well ?? Not really..

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

Selling them off .. I wander if this is part of the problem ? Don't ever hear about gov dept being sold off? funny that !! well ?? Not really..

That would also be a factor.

[mike_nofx]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

We still have a healthy locally produced truck manufacturing industry here with Kenworth in Melbourne and Mack (Volvo) in Brisbane.
Kenworth trucks Aust. have custom built their models since 1971 using locally sourced suppliers, cabs, glass, frame rails etc. engines of course were US imports as were Mack trucks.
Kenworth continued with the Aussie built K200 long after the yanks gave up on cabovers (due to their relaxation of length laws)

K.T.A still operate independently to their parent company Pacific Car Co.

If Kenworth designed and built an Australian made Groswold-esque Family Truckster I'd be all over that. I'd place an order tomorrow.

[kevino]

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

If Kenworth designed and built an Australian made Groswold-esque Family Truckster I'd be all over that. I'd place an order tomorrow.

thats a bloody good idea.

A Kenworth T100 3.5 tonne ute/truck also suitable to be used by Govco as an ambulance police dog wagon paddy wagon etc. Brilliant idea.
Twin pipes and a medium sized cummns diesel complete with jacobs brake (engine brake)

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by kevino

thats a bloody good idea.

A Kenworth T100 3.5 tonne ute/truck also suitable to be used by Govco as an ambulance police dog wagon paddy wagon etc. Brilliant idea.
Twin pipes and a medium sized cummns diesel complete with jacobs brake (engine brake)

Here you go.
Took these pics last year. both built around Isuzu running gear.



half K100

[mik]

I`m not sure if we where the first to lose car manufacturing , but from what i recall(correct me if im wrong ), we probably have one of the worst manufacturing records though , just about every single large car company that has tried to make a dollar in Australia has either gone bust or left for greener pastures , and soon the last two car makers here will be gone as well :( .

To me its a national tragedy , it may seem like only a drop in the ocean as far as the total economic dollar value for the country , but people having jobs and making a living is in my book well worth 10 times any donations made to the car industry by the government to keep it alive .
Every year the crime rate is going up , there are more people destitute as jobs disappear for many many reasons but also including automation(and they wont be coming back) .
The worst part about this imo , is that it is only going to get worse ....sorry to get of the track , but non of these boofhead pollies place any value on manufacturing , sorry i got that wrong , they do value the manufacturing from other countries .

[PooDog]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

Incorrect, Australia will be the 2nd.. NZ was the first.

correct we had a thriving industry (not) making trekkas which were a bit like a small jeep with an awsome skoda power plant , think they were around late sixty early seventies

[PooDog]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Bombardier that I mentioned in a previous Post build Trains in Dandenong VIC.

But they lost a recent bid to build 65 new trains to a Chinese company which will apparently do a 60% local build, article below suggests they wont delivery on quality

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vic...f9eb8ea45f7dbf

Bombardier also build trams, but I think some have been sourced from France recently

good luck with the chinese trains ....our government (nz) did a deal which forced closure of workshops in christchurch to buy the chinese ones , which the local ones were reported to be better ....the chinese ones lasted about five minutes and had to be rebuilt ??? which i suppose saved a few jobs

were so stupid our government uses an overseas bank ? (australian actually)

[XWGT]

Originally Posted by mik

To me its a national tragedy , it may seem like only a drop in the ocean as far as the total economic dollar value for the country , but people having jobs and making a living is in my book well worth 10 times any donations made to the car industry by the government to keep it alive .
.

Sorry I don't understand this.
As the link provided show services created 300,000 additional jobs while manufacturing provided -8,000 in the same period.
Seems it you want employment you want services.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by mik

I`m not sure if we where the first to lose car manufacturing , but from what i recall(correct me if im wrong ), we probably have one of the worst manufacturing records though , just about every single large car company that has tried to make a dollar in Australia has either gone bust or left for greener pastures , and soon the last two car makers here will be gone as well :( .

To me its a national tragedy , it may seem like only a drop in the ocean as far as the total economic dollar value for the country , but people having jobs and making a living is in my book well worth 10 times any donations made to the car industry by the government to keep it alive .
Every year the crime rate is going up , there are more people destitute as jobs disappear for many many reasons but also including automation(and they wont be coming back) .
The worst part about this imo , is that it is only going to get worse ....sorry to get of the track , but non of these boofhead pollies place any value on manufacturing , sorry i got that wrong , they do value the manufacturing from other countries .

As one industry goes, another rises. Whilst we've lost major car manufacturing we are gaining in other areas and industries (services, etc). We've even gained a lot of business in smaller specialised manufacturing.

Australia is not immune to innovation and technological advances (and why would you want to be?), the flipside to this is a number of industries will transform to accommodate the changes in technology and there will be collateral from this.
Car manufacturing was going to be doomed here, Ford sold stuff all cars and couldn't justify the $$ to keep it going (if they couldn't then the government shouldn't), Holden in the same boat and well, TMCA, they just couldn't justify spending the extra $$ on the components after Ford and Holden went.

We, as a nation need to be seen as the smart country, one that can adapt and be at the forefront of this innovation revolution. Unfortunately, we're just slipping further and further behind, compromising on just about everything, trying to squeeze more and more $$ (NBN), pandering to groups that are outraged by something and in the end we lose out. We need leaders who will take the charge and put us on the front foot not for 2 - 3 years ahead but generations. Hanging on to industries that don't advance, don't change or adapt with everyone else is a risk and the impact is..well we have all seen it. Now, what are we going to do with the lessons learned from the past???

[Spammy]

^^ well said.

Most economists would point out that Australia is in an enviable position where we can afford to put to bed dying industries and focus on smarter use of our workforce and capital.

Building limited numbers of somewhat outdated cars to sell into a very small market, at a loss, with no meaninful export potential, in a high wage enviroment is not a great business model.

Being the development & engineering centre for a global operation which turns to cheap labour in other zones to manufacture is a smarter plan.