Ford Upgrades Geelong Casting Plant, Hires

American manufacturer Ford announced today the expansion of the Geelong Casting Plant, as well as the increase in personnel by at least 50 percent. The AU$20 million investment in the facility will be made to accommodate production work which initially was slated to go to China. The measures are part of Ford's ten year - $1.8 billion investment in local operations.

“Our $20 million investment is great news for local jobs, great news for the environment, great news for the automotive sector and great news for Ford Australia,” Ford Australia CEO Marin Burela says in a release.

“It keeps in Australia work that could otherwise have gone to Chinese manufacturers, which is a fantastic testament to the skills and productivity of our workforce."

As part of the contract with Bosch, Geelong Casting will manufacture around one million brake components annually for Bosch Chassis Systems Australia. The engine blocks for Ford’s new Euro IV compliant I6 petrol engine for FG Falcon and Territory diesel and petrol will also be casted here.

“It’s no secret we were looking at a range of options for the Plant, including new ownership, however after careful consideration we have a growth plan that takes the Plant to full capacity and, importantly, creates new jobs at Ford,” added.

“Our I6 engine continues to be the cornerstone of our success in Australia and its evolution over the last 50 years is testament to the engineering ingenuity we have at Ford Australia."