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Volvo welcomes ScoMo to Wacol

Prime Minister eyes off new Mack and Volvo range at VGA headquarters

 

Volvo Group Australia (VGA) president and CEO Martin Merrick welcomed Prime Minister Scott Morrison and a host of other politicians to VGA’s Wacol manufacturing facility in Queensland on January 22, with the emphasis on “made in Australia”.

Joining the Prime Minister on the tour was assistant minister for road freight and safety, Scott Buchholz; minister for science, technology and industry, Karen Andrews; councillor Sarah Hutton and Volvo Group Australia President and CEO, Martin Merrick.

Against a backdrop of the new Volvo and Mack range, addressing the assembled crowd of VIP customers, factory staff and media, Merrick used the occasion to reiterate the importance of road transport, local manufacturing and the role that VGA plays in keeping Australia moving.


Related story: Volvo Group Australia unveils its first electric truck


“Clearly as you can see here, manufacturing in Australia is alive and well. We employ over 1400 people locally with more to come and we are so proud to have made significant investments to build these new trucks here in Australia at this facility.

“Because of this investment we are able to employ more than 1400 people and are able to support 90 local suppliers. We spend more than 400 million dollars in the local supply chain every year. And our intention is to increase that local investment in the future.

“Aside from the challenges that the world has faced in recent times one thing that has been reinforced here in Australia has been the importance of both road transport and truckies.

“Supply chains don’t just feed industry, they feed society,” Merrick says.

The Prime Minister gets up close-up view of a new Euro 6 Volvo

Prime Minister Morrison also used the occasion to reiterate his support for local manufacturing and resilient supply chains.

“We make things in Australia, and we make them well,” Morrison says of his tour of the plant.

“At the Volvo and Mack factory in Wacol, southwest of Brisbane, they’ve been proudly making trucks for Australia and beyond for almost 50 years.

“Our new tax incentive for new investment has meant a surge of new orders, which will be keeping these workers at this plant very busy this year.

“Each and every truck that rolls off the assembly line proudly wears the Australian made logo and because of their continued investment they employ more than 1,400 people and support 90 local manufacturing suppliers, some of whom I met today.

“Our modern manufacturing strategy is all about supporting business to continue to invest in making things in Australia and ensuring there’s a big future for manufacturing in this country.”

At the conclusion of the press conference, the Prime Minister also took the opportunity to depart at the wheel of the Volvo FL Electric which will be undergoing trials with Linfox in coming months.

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