TECH: PREMCAR NAVARA WARRIOR PLANT
TOBY JOINS THE PRODUCTION LINE AT PREMCAR WHERE THE NISSAN N-TREK WARRIOR IS BUILT.
“Sometimes you have to put your balls on the line,” reveals Bernie Quinn, the head of automotive engineering and assembly company Premcar. The casual, almost matter-of-fact comment refers to the multi-million-dollar investment in facilities, staff and equipment in the still-fresh factory I’m entrenched in, ready to get my hands dirty.
Every few minutes Nissan’s latest tough truck, the Navara Warrior, flickers past in the background, moving around the sizeable 6300m² facility in the north of Melbourne. We’re in the boardroom with its large-screen TVS and slick furniture that is a far cry from the bustle of the assembly line only metres away. And both are a world away from the grunge and disorder some might envisage of an automotive workshop.
Created from the ashes of the Tickford business that once crafted hot Falcons, Premcar has turned its attention to the booming off-road segment now dominated by dual-cab utes.
The first major client is Nissan, keen to exploit the potential of the Navara. Rather than throw accessories at it to beef up the look, Premcar sliced and diced with suspension and chassis modifications and enhanced underbody protection as part of a comprehensive engineering program aimed at boosting off-road performance.
In one unused corner of the workshop are some dormant vehicle hoists, each brand-new − it’s a rare sliver of space where there’s not much happening. Pointing to some telltale tape on the ground, production manager Bill Birney says that’s where a wall will soon be built for the planned engineering facility, all of which helps paint the picture of what Premcar is about.
That planned engineering space is the brains behind the
brawn that is the manufacturing facility. It is key to Premcar’s investment. Rather than an aftermarket attack using quality componentry, the Warrior work adheres to Nissan’s global factory standards, requiring additional checks and quality measures to keep the Japanese masters content. Hence the investment, one Quinn says was sharpened for the Warrior deal to learn the ropes of what he clearly hopes is a bigger world of manufacturer-approved modifications.
“We sacrificed some margin on this program and made some long-term commitments on facilities and investment that’s going to force us to work harder to keep us busy,” he says, adding that taking a punt is part of his approach to business.
“I’ve never regretted taking a risk, I have regretted not taking a risk.”
The Warrior deal runs until the end of the year, prompting Quinn’s leap into a brave new world. However, with an updated Navara expected by 2021, provided things are selling strongly there’s a good chance there will be a Warrior 2.0 – from the same facilities.
In the wake of a horror decade for manufacturing in Australia, the Premcar business is a rare bright light. Granted, it’s a minnow compared with the sprawling Toyota, Holden and Ford factories that were once churning out hundreds of cars a day. Instead, Premcar’s target is 13 vehicles, or one every 34 minutes, from its full-time staff of 40 personnel. That’s glacial by global standards, but looking at the truncated 11-station assembly line there’s no shortage of activity.