Just over eight years after the last HSV-fettled Holden Commodore rolled off the production line, Walkinshaw has turned its most important page by opening a new dedicated facility to house its operations.
Located in Dandenong South, east of the Melbourne CBD, the 100,000 square metre facility is set to become the home of not only the Walkinshaw Andretti United Supercars team, but also the Walkinshaw Auto Group’s extensive operations.
As reported last month, Ram Trucks Australia is set to be the first brand to make use of the new facility, with its team converting the 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups from left- to right-hand drive – a task which had previously taken place in Clayton.
Walkinshaw is moving its own in-house conversions of the Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Yukon to the facility, while it’s also expected to launch a new generation Volkswagen Amarok W-Series in the near future, with related modifications to take place at the Dandenong South site.
In total, the facility will be the place of employment for more than 800 people, working across two shifts.
While WAG CEO Ryan Walkinshaw previously claimed the facility would be able to produce more than 20,000 vehicles annually across six production lines, these figures have since been revised to 10,000 vehicles on four production lines.
“Today is an incredibly proud day for the entire Walkinshaw Group, it marks a new era in our history, one that will drive us forward as we officially move into our new state-of-the-art facility – the new home of the Walkinshaw Group here at Nexus Dandenong South,” Walkinshaw said.
“Since 2018, our business has seen remarkable growth and our capabilities have expanded significantly. It left us needing a bigger footprint, one that not only fit our unique requirements, but would continue our expansion into the future. We are extremely grateful to Salta for joining us on this journey and bringing this to life.
“Our state-of-the-art facility, especially of this scope and size, allows us to continue to be industry leaders in manufacturing and engineering, and continue to improve our efficiencies across all arms of the group.
“We truly believe in the strength of Australian manufacturing and engineering, and this should show everyone how committed we are for the long term.”
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