Holden reintroduces second shift as V6 demand grows
Holden has today reintroduced the second shift at its Port Melbourne engine plant on the back of rising local and global demand for its 3.0 and 3.6-litre V6s.
Production has increased from 240-320 to 440 units per day, a move that Holden powertrain lead executive, Mr Martyn Cray, says reflects higher export orders and a short-term rise in vehicle production at Adelaide.
“Holden has received an increase in orders for our global V6 engines which are exported to markets including South Korea, China and Mexico and we are lifting production of our engines as a result.
“We are also seeing increased local demand for Commodore after launching the new Spark Ignition Direct Injection (SIDI) engine,” he said.
The daily rate will remain at 440 until the end of the year before dropping back to 400 through January and February 2010.
Mr Cray says the existing workforce will operate the reintroduced second shift, after a lack of demand forced the Fishermans Bend plant to switch to a single shift in June.
“The past year has been an incredibly challenging time for Holden’s manufacturing workforce as they manage their lives around changes in our production schedule.
“We managed to retain a skilled workforce through difficult times because we were confident things would turnaround. We are now able to lift production from within our existing team.”
Holden Vehicle Operations at Elizabeth will continue on a single shift despite production rising from 310 to 340 cars per day earlier this month.
by Tim Beissmann
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