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IVECO ramps up local manufacturing efforts

IVECO's has increased the range of locally manufactured models at its Dandenong facility in Melbourne after making the announcement last year.

 

The Stralis ATi was previously sold as an imported model in Australia, but from the first quarter of 2018 the Stralis ATi began local assembly, changing its model nomenclature to ‘AT’, the ‘i’ signifying its previous import status.

Selected components including mirrors, wheel angles, trailer connections, batteries, wheels and liquids are also all now sourced locally.

The addition of a second Stralis model to the local manufacturing mix provides economies of scale, increases commonality of parts and offers a strong business case to further increase the scope of local manufacturing works. 

The addition of the Stralis AT to the local production mix has also seen the Dandenong facility undergo investment in tooling and software to calibrate the AT’s adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning systems.

Australian buyers will enjoy several benefits from the local production of AT models including greatly reduced lead times from vehicle order to delivery, and the ability to customise to order by adding factory-fitted special options and local accessories.

IVECO’s local engineers are also heavily involved in the installation of new Euro 6-rated Cursor engines for both the AT and AS-L variants. The move towards Euro 6 is in keeping with IVECO’s broader global position and tagline ‘Your Partner for Sustainable Transport’.   

The Australian engineering team is now continuing its real market testing on a selection of these engines. For many months, a number of vehicles have been amassing hundreds of thousands of validation, compliance and general testing kilometres in real-world conditions.

During the evaluation phase, the vehicles will cover a minimum of 300,000 kilometres each, with performance data being downloaded and analysed on a weekly basis. Fluid sampling is also being done every 25,000 kilometres.

The local development and validation is being undertaken in conjunction with FPT (Fiat Powertrain), who have the ability to monitor the vehicle from the other side of the world with a telematics system.

IVECO Australia Marketing Manager, Darren Swenson, says the increase in local production and development highlights the company’s commitment to Australian manufacturing.

“IVECO is one of few truck brands that continue to manufacture here – this latest expansion in Australian-based production demonstrates the company’s commitment to having a strong local manufacturing presence,” Mr Swenson said.

“The addition of Stralis AT variants to the local production mix along with the validation of new power plants and other initiatives is great news for the local workforce and our third party parts suppliers but also for Australian truck buyers who can further reap the benefits that locally-manufactured vehicles provide.

“The expansion of local production not only reflects a strong belief from IVECO Australia that local manufacturing is sustainable, but the initiative is also strongly supported by IVECO’s parent company, CNH Industrial.”

The Stralis AT and AS-L ranges join several other of IVECO’s locally-manufactured models including the ACCO – which has been built in Dandenong for over 40 years.

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