Australia's Automotive Industry
By 1949 the Australian Automotive Industry was fast becoming one of the country's greatest industries, and many predicted that Australia would become entirely independent of outside sources of supply for its automotive components, parts and accessories. The Automotive Products Manufacturers' Association of Australia had been formed, its membership covering almost the entire field of automotive manufacture and was being continually added to by the decisions of old established British firms to open factories in Australia. Among these firms established by 1949 were Tecalemit (A'sia.) Pty. Ltd., manufacturers of complete garage equipment such as grease guns, grease nipples and oil filters, Vokes (A'sia.) Pty. Ltd., manufacturers of oil and air filters, and S. Smith & Sons (Attst) Pty. Ltd., who manufacture spark plugs and a large range of automotive instruments.
Other British firms in the course of becoming established in Australia by the end of 1949 included the Hardy Spicer organisation, famous as manufacturers of universal joints, transmission equipment, etc., Automotive Products Co. Ltd., the licensed manufacturers of Lockheed hydraulic braking systems, the world's largest manufacturers of braking equipment, and the well known English firm of Rubery, Owen & Kemsley had opened a factory at Finsbury, South Australia, and had already commenced production of motor car wheels, with a view to producing axle casings and chassis frames by as early as 1951. These wheels were used on several British cars as well as the Chrysler and G.M.H. ranges.
Expansion was continually under way in leading Australian firms and new factories were constantly being opened to cope with the demand for parts and accessories necessary in the construction and assembly of cars and trucks. Repco Ltd. opened a new engine bearing factory at Mowbray Heights, Launceston, Tasmania, and in his opening address Mr. John Storey, Chairman and Managing Director of the company said that "motor cars and tractors have been made in Australia only as a result of the ability of the Australian automotive industry to provide components for them, and very soon complete motor trucks would also be made."
Among the motor companies themselves, General Motors had undergone a large expansion programme to launch the first all-Australian mass produced car, Austin had established themselves by the purchase of the old Ruskin body plant in West Melbourne, Lord Nuffield opened a new plant at Victoria Park, Sydney, and Chrysler Dodge Distributors were well-established in South Australia. Ford expanded with an annexe at Ballarat. The International Harvester Co. was producing tractors at its Geelong plant and by 1951 were producing complete truck units there, Kelly & Lewis, Springvale, were producing a number of tractors a day in their KL Tractor Division, and numerous smaller industries such as the Wiles Co. in South Australia, Hartnett in Melbourne, and Jeffress in Queensland had plans for the future - a future that was to be the most promising that the Australian automotive industry had ever looked forward to. |