Clive Palmer...Australia should build a ToyForDen !!!

[EVLKNEVL]

Originally Posted by bungarra

AMEP did a deal with the devil when they signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Palmer and I hope it doesn't end up biting AMEP on the butt.

Is that because AMEP had so much credibility before that memorandum?

[CyberWasp]

Anything is possible if the people of Australia want it to happen......
Unfortunately Australians can't even manufacture people at the moment and how hard is that to do. We have to import them too.

[davenl5l]

whatever clive's smoking I wish I had some

[bungarra]

Originally Posted by EVLKNEVL

Is that because AMEP had so much credibility before that memorandum?

How many of their members put their hand up to run for them at the Federal Election? Lots joined but only a handfull were willing to put their hand up.

Ricky Muir was one of them and got in. Could of been someone else but they didn't stick their hand up.

Easy to complain, harder to be the one doing things.

[BHDOGS]

Clives a scumbag and a blight on the politics of this country anybody who believes he actually wants to make a diffrence to anything except his own fat **** is deluded

[turbodewd]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

I'll just leave that there for people to read and let the enormity of that concept sink in.

How would that idea help anything? Apart of course from make the government richer, and cars for the public way more expensive. Why would we impose a higher GST on something we don't make anymore? "We don't need to send Aussie dollars overseas"...?? What? If you don't have a choice where the car you are buying is made...ie: all from overseas...then how exactly would that help? People will still need new cars, so why punish them because they're all foreign made?

In fact, protectionist tariffs and taxes should be dropped completely on all cars after local manufacture stops, as we don't need to "protect" something that won't be happening any more.

Mate, I will repeat. One of our biggest imports by value is cars. Unemployment is rising, we should discourage Aussie dollars heading overseas. The Fed govt also has a budget deficit. I have no issue in NOT lining the pockets of foreign auto makers. While my tune may ring of xenophobia, Im trying to keep you and me in a job. Anything that encourages people to, say, holiday within Australia would be good for the economy.

If the Chinese economy sneezes we are in for a world of hurt. I have no issue with the government saving money for a rainy day.

Would you prefer we make cars GST free?! Mate, cmon, think about it some more.

[becchops]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

Anything is possible if the people of Australia want it to happen......
Unfortunately Australians can't even manufacture people at the moment and how hard is that to do. We have to import them too.

:yel rotflm

[monte.b]

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

Sure we have our idiots down south, it's just up north they grow more readily and in greater abundance.

So what are you saying ,do you mean the millions of southerners that have moved up here breed more readily up here ,seems to me that there is very few born and bread Queenslanders left here ,so i guess you are saying we have been taken over by a lot of stupid people that came from south of the border ,yep i reckon you are right ,well the south east corner anyway ,its a bit too hot and humid up here for the poor little souls

[aussie muscle]

yeah, i can really see Clive jumping on board with HIS two biggest competitors. I can't see GM and Ford doing it. (unless one bought out some or all of the other, eg microsoft owns a percentage of AApple)

[Gothefalcon]

Not that I think it would ever happen (especially because all three manufactureres have already decided to go).... but just taken as a case in point.... building all the cars in one big plant is not all that much of a silly idea !??

If you take the actual design side out of the equation (that should stay "in house" of course)... and only look at the manufacturing side... then it would bring much greater economies of scale.

How many of the components used in the Aussie cars we drive are actually manufactured "in house" anyway !?? What would it be... perhaps 5 - 15% (admittedly, I don't know and just guessing) anyway.. what I'm saying is that the majority of these components have been outsourced to the "components industry" and are made under licence for the individual manufacturers. They may have a Ford badge, or a Holden badge and listed manufacturer part numbers on them... but they're not actually "made" by Ford or Holden etc.... then they get delivered to the factory to be assembled into a car "in house" by the manufacturer.

And how many of the Companies in the components industry are already making the same type of parts for different manufacturers ? Most of them ? (again I'm only guessing) ie: wiring looms, lights, seats, tyres (which are already different brands being made in the same factory under licence), bumpers, brakes, diffs, gearboxes & clutches, etc, etc... and the list goes on... If need be, the parts that are already made "in house" could still be.. and simply delivered to the mega factory... along with all the other outsourced components.

To outsource the actual final assembly phase wouldn't be all that different to say... Ford assembling Lasers from KDKits in the 80s/90s (yes, I understand it was ostensibly their own product.. but it was still mostly made elsewhere, shipped off as crates of parts and, broadly speaking... assembled as a kit, into the final product.) No reason the same factory workers who made our Aussie cars "in house" before, couldn't physically still do this in a large outsourced plant too ! (just talking "physically")

It happens with other products... designed "in house" by the "brand" companies but manufactured by the same outsourced factories.... mobile phones, clothing, shoes, tyres, TVs, tools, all sorts really... so why not cars in a relatively small economy like ours too !??

Now... could it still be done profitably in the one of the most open market places in the world (ours) ??? ... or would our Govtco need to put measures in place (like all the other countries do, that look after their own interests) to make it work so we can retain our highly skilled workforce, maintain our standard of living and keep food on the tables of hard working Australians ??? Well... these are questions best answered by people much smarter than me

Rant over.... let the stone throwing commence !

D

[xxx000]

Originally Posted by DJR MAN

We used to build multiple cars at the same facility a long time ago. Does anyone remember AMI - Australian Motor Industries I think it was called. There were Toyotas and Ramblers and possibly other makes built by AMI.

Some of these cars from the 60's and early 70's had a badge on the fender AMI

From Wikipedia

In 1958 the company negotiated an agreement with Daimler-Benz to assemble and distribute Mercedes Benz vehicles in Australia. In recognition of this new agreement the company was renamed Australian Motor Industries and a new subsidiary company was formed to handle the Mercedes Benz franchise.

Through its long association with the Standard Motor Company, AMI also held the franchise for Triumph cars and assembled Ferguson tractors through another subsidiary company of the group, British Farm Equipment. An extensive dealer network throughout NSW and Victoria saw Standard cars and Ferguson tractors sold side by side in country areas. The most popular car sold was the Vanguard model.


Reorganization


A 1961 Mercedes-Benz 220SEb, assembled by AMI
In October 1960, AMI signed an agreement with American Motors Corporation (AMC) to assemble the Rambler range of cars from complete knock down (CKD) kits. Another deal with Fiat was planned to replace the Ferguson tractors distributed by BFE. The Standard Motor Company had sold their tractor facility in Coventry to Massey Ferguson and focused on automobile production.

AMI ran into financial trouble during the Australian credit squeeze of 1961 and the company was forced to sell off many assets and vehicle stock to remain solvent. Part of the restructure resulted in the sale of their share in the Mercedes Benz franchise to the German parent company.

In 1963 the company secured the Australian franchise for Toyota cars and began assembly of the Tiara range. From this point the financial position of the company steadily improved and by 1967 AMI were assembling 32 different models for the Australian market and providing fully imported Toyota Corollas for their dealer network.

Other cars assembled by AMI included the Rambler range from American Motors and Triumph cars from Leyland Motors. Leyland had inherited shares in AMI when it had merged with Standard-Triumph International in 1961. During the early 1960s the foreign share of the automobile motor vehicle market was estimated to be 95%, and as the only sizeable producer with a local equity, AMI continued to manufacture overseas designs.

AMI assembled the Triumph Herald from 1959 to 1966 and produced some unique Australian models. The Triumph 2000/2500 range was assembled in Port Melbourne from 1964 to the mid-1970s.

By 1965, the demise of the Standard Vanguard and the loss of assembly rights for Mercedes-Benz vehicles left AMI with additional capacity to assemble Rambler, Triumph and Toyota models.

Operations with AMC

Starting in 1960, AMI assembled a broad range of AMC cars, all with right-hand drive and carried the Rambler brand name. This meant that Australians could purchase a Rambler Javelin, AMX (a total of 24 were assembled, all with 343 cu in (5.6 L) V8s[7]), Hornet, or Matador long after the Rambler marque was dropped from use on the equivalent U.S.-made models.

Complete knock down kits were shipped from AMC's Kenosha, Wisconsin facility (all knock-down kits to all assembly operations were from Kenosha), but the Australian cars were assembled with a percentage of "local content" to gain tariff concessions. This was done using parts and components (such as seats, carpet, lights, and heaters) from local Australian suppliers. AMI specified what parts were not to be included in the unassembled kits sent by AMC. The door tag on an AMI assembled car has no trim number because AMC did not know in advance how it would be trimmed inside. The color selection was limited in Australia because the bodies were painted at the body plant just like all the bodies going for final assembly at the Kenosha factory. Specific colors had to be ordered by AMI in advance and there was only had a limited supply of each in Australia. The body had the engine, trans, front suspension, and rear axle installed (as well as a few other parts such as door latches), and then was pulled from the line in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Other necessary parts specified by the assembler were boxed and shipped inside the car for assembly at the final destination in Australia. It is unknown exactly how many parts were included to be installed by the assembly operation, that varied with each operation.


1969 Rambler AMX assembled by AMI
A total of 24 AMC AMXs, all 1969 models were made by AMI between August, 1969 and July, 1970.Differences to the RHD two-seater AMXs compared to the U.S. models included swapping the power brake booster and heater motor on the firewall, the power steering pump remained in its usual left location, although the rest of the steering components had to be on the right side of the cars. All of the Australian AMX interiors were finished in black featuring a unique RHD dashboard with a wood-grained instrument cluster in front of the driver. While the AMX was marketed as a performance car in the U.S. marketplace, the Australian AMXs came with a large high level of equipment that was optional in the U.S., and these AMXs were advertised as personal luxury cars.

One AMC Gremlin was also assembled AMI in Port Melbourne for evaluation purposes and branded as a "Rambler Gremlin". The car features the standard 232 cu in (3.8 L) I6 with three-speed manual transmission, as well as right-hand drive and the mandated percentage of locally produced content.

From 1971, Australian assembled AMC Matadors were equipped with standard column shift automatic transmissions, power steering, power windows, air conditioning, and an AM radio. The engine in the later years was AMC's 360 cu in (5.9 L) V8. Options included exterior sunvisor, vinyl roof cover, tow hitch, and mud flaps. Registrations for AMC vehicles dropped after 1974. A total of 118 Hornets and 145 Matadors (118 sedans, 27 wagons) were sold during 1974. Registrations for 1975 were 136 Hornets and 118 Matadors (85 sedans 33 wagons). In 1976 there were 88 Matadors (78 sedans, 10 wagons), while 1977 saw just 24 Matador sedans and 3 wagons. Additionally, Matador coupe CKD kits arrived in late-1974, and the assembly of 80 cars began in 1976. One fully assembled AMC Pacer was imported for evaluation purposes.

American Motors cars were assembled in Port Melbourne by AMI up to 1978. The company retained a niche market as the sole U.S. sourced cars available in the Australian marketplace. For example, the Government of New South Wales selected the Rambler Rebel and the Matador as official vehicles in the 1970s.

Toyota and buyout

The Toyota Tiara was the first Toyota model assembled by AMI
The first Toyota car ever built outside Japan was assembled by AMI in April 1963, the Toyota Tiara. The AMI production of Toyotas expanded in the 1960s to also include the Crown, Corona, and Corolla assembled at AMI's Port Melbourne factory. Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan purchased 10% of outstanding AMI shares. As a fast growing company, took a controlling interest in AMI in 1968 as a contract with the British Leyland ended. Toyota also purchased a 40% share in Thiess Holdings, an importer of light commercial vehicles, which it renamed Thiess Toyota.

Recognizing the majority owner of the company and the products that it manufactured and marketed, AMI renamed itself as AMI Toyota Ltd in 1985. The company continued to be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange with a minority Australian shareholding until 1987, when Toyota moved to acquire the shares held by the remaining shareholders.

The Japanese company then amalgamated the company with its other Australian operations in 1989 to form two arms. Toyota Motor Corporation Australia which was responsible for passenger vehicles and Toyota Motor Sales Australia which was responsible for both Toyota commercial vehicles and Hino trucks.

Toyota vehicle production was transferred from the historic Port Melbourne factory to the company’s new $420 million facility at Altona, Victoria in 1994. The Australian facility now exports CKD kits to assembly plants in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines

I recall seeing Ramblers, Hornets and those AMI badges too

[DJR MAN]

Originally Posted by xxx000

From Wikipedia



I recall seeing Ramblers, Hornets and those AMI badges too

Good read that!
I reckon Clive is pretty much on the money. It has been done. We got the facilities and the people and the know how - it would be a waste of a very useful resource.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by xxx000

From Wikipedia



I recall seeing Ramblers, Hornets and those AMI badges too

And I recall AMI Nasal Delivery ads on radio and highway billboards in recent times? More money in that than cars I guess

[Burnout]

The old NSW Police STP (Highway Patrol) used Rambler Rebels as pursuit cars in the early '60s, they were replaced by the Mini Coopers.

[kaniSS]

GO away Clive, go back to building your Titanic.

[XWGT]

If the infrastructure was owned by an independent body and cost neutral, there is no reason that couldn't work.

Having the super factory divided into three areas could be easily done, and then every input from logistics to machine maintenance to electricity supply to waste disposal becomes cheaper per unit as vendors can leverage of the additional volume being generated in one place.

A larger output of cars also allows for more R&D and efficiency investment as the ROI is easier to achieve.

Why Clive may be a nut job, there is no reason a centrally owned facility that rents space to multiple manufacturers could not improve efficiencies across the board.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by XWGT

If the infrastructure was owned by an independent body and cost neutral, there is no reason that couldn't work.

Having the super factory divided into three areas could be easily done, and then every input from logistics to machine maintenance to electricity supply to waste disposal becomes cheaper per unit as vendors can leverage of the additional volume being generated in one place.

A larger output of cars also allows for more R&D and efficiency investment as the ROI is easier to achieve.

Why Clive may be a nut job, there is no reason a centrally owned facility that rents space to multiple manufacturers could not improve efficiencies across the board.

There are many industries, institutions and bodies moving to a co-located, shared facility model to cut costs and improve efficiency. It's this vision which will see us into the future, not sticking to existing failing models to spite ourselves.
I think we might see regional opportunities rise for these 'campuses'

JP