Holden Increases Engine Production, Adds Second Shift

THANKS TO an increase in orders for the locally-produced Global V6 engine, Holden is adding a second production shift to its engine facility at Port Melbourne.

Overseas orders for the Global V6, and increased demand for the Commodore locally, have seen numbers increased this week to 440 per day.

In June, the global financial crisis saw production drop to one shift, with around 240 to 320 engines produced per day.

“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,” Powertrain Lead Executive, Martin Cray said.

“We are also seeing increased local demand for Commodore after launching the new advanced Spark Ignition Direct Injection (SIDI) engine in 3.0 and 3.6 litre variants.”

The increase to 440 engines per day is expected to last until the end of the year, with January and February to see 400 engines produced per day.

“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,” Mr Cray said.

"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's vehicle assembly at Elizabeth in South Australia will continue to run on a single shift, building 340 cars per day - up from 310 earlier this month.