General Motors affiliate Holden has made a commitment to round-the-clock production to keep pace with global demand for its products, writes Mike Duffy.
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The car maker will employ an additional 1000 when it commissions the third shift in June. The night shift is expected to generate another 2000 jobs in the components sector.
Holden chairman and managing director Peter Hanenberger said: “This is a milestone for our company. It will allow us to press ahead with plans to sell cars into new markets including China, South Korea and elsewhere.”
Holden placed its first advertisement for the additional workers at the weekend.
The additional shift at the Elizabeth production complex in Adelaide, South Australia, is crucial to keep pace with Holden’s expansion on the domestic as well as export markets.
The move is underpinned by $A400 million of new investment. This is part of $2 billion Holden will invest in the states of South Australia and Victoria as it targets 200,000 vehicles a year by 2008 with 70,000 earmarked for export markets.
The $400 million is being spent in the plastics division, panel stamping plant and paintshop – traditional bottlenecks on the Holden assembly line.
Currently, the plant is producing 605 cars per day following the introduction of the revised VY Commodore, Series II Monaro and Statesman. This will grow to 780 a day when the third shift approaches its full potential.
Hanenberger said the third shift would enable the company to deliver “one of the most varied range of cars from any single manufacturing plant in the world.”
“We will move from 28 to 35 models in the next 12 months for Australian and overseas markets.”
