While local car manufacturing will cease when Holden, Ford and Toyota roll down the shutters next year there is some good news for local Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) with confirmation Nissan’s Dandenong, Victoria casting plant has been awarded new export contracts.
In fact, Nissan Casting Australia is already working three shifts per day and is looking to boost its current 160 staff by hiring an extra 30 people to cope with the workload resulting from the new contracts for driveline parts to be fitted to various new models which have not even been announced as yet.
Nissan Casting Australia’s 90,000 square-metre facility last year exported 2.2 million parts worth $65 million (including oil pans and gearbox housings) to Nissan plants in locations including North America, Japan, Mexico, Thailand and the UK for fitment to a range of Nissan and Renault vehicles including the LEAF and NV2000 electric vehicles.
For example the Infiniti Q50 sold globally uses a gear carrier made in Dandenong and the all-new Nissan Navara uses a gearbox casing with the tell-tale Kangaroo logo stamped on it.
Other Nissan-Renault vehicles sold in Australia with Dandenong-made components include the Nissan Qashqai and Pathfinder and Renault Koleos.
As well, Nissan Casting Australia makes a range of genuine Nissan accessories such as tow-bars.
While this is undoubtedly a good news story for the local automotive sector however unfortunately, as it uses ‘Secondary Aluminium’, Nissan Casting Australia must source its raw material from China – it is not made in Australia (previously this was sourced locally from Sims however that ceased two years ago).
“We would prefer to buy from Alcoa but the type of aluminium we use is not made in Australia,” explained Nissan Casting Australia Managing Director Peter Jones.
