DAF begins local assembly

PACCAR has made a mockery of the automotive production nay-sayers by announcing that a new brand will now wear the Assembled in Australia sticker.

Dutch brand DAF has been in our market for some time with over 4000 sold in Australia, but previously it has been fully imported, whereas now the popular DAF CF 85-510 will hit our shores in CKD (completely knocked down) form and be assembled here.

The announcement was made at an event at PACCAR’s production facility in the Melbourne suburb of Bayswater today as the first ruck rolled off the line.

Initially, the trucks will share the same production line as the famous Kenworth trucks of which over 60,000 have run down the Bayswater line, but PACCAR Australia Managing Director Andrew Hadjikakou also announced a major expansion of the plant to enable more trucks to be built here.

Bayswater will be the fifth DAF production facility for the company, joining head office in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Leyland in Britain, Westerlo Belgium and Ponta Grassa in Brazil.

Bayswater currently produces 15 Kenworth trucks per week and two DAF trucks, although we were told this would increase quickly as processes were streamlined and the factory was expanded.

Production Supervisor Meredith Young said that 12 members of the production team travelled to Eindhoven to work with the local specialists and learn the unique assembly processes for the DAF products.

Similarly, DAF technicians travelled to Australia to teach the locals and ensure that the manufacturing facility was fully equipped and to sign off on the assembly process.

The local assembly of the DAF trucks will not only shorten the lead times between order and delivery, but will enable more customisation of the trucks. Painting of the cabs and the chassis can now be done to order and other adjustments made to the standard build to better suit the application or the owner’s tastes.

The very first of the Aussie-assembled DAFs was at the official function and the keys were handed over the new proud owners Mick and Dan Cahill of Cahill Transport, Laverton North, Victoria.

Cahill Transport runs around 70 DAFs and was the first customer to crack 50 trucks for DAF. Mick Cahill said the brothers’ great-grandfather started the business back at the turn of last century using a horse and cart, and the company has grown to be a national carrier with depots all over the country.

The initial DAF CF 85-510 to be assembled here will be powered by a six-cylinder, 12.9- litre, 510hp engine with a ZF 16-speed AS Tronic transmission. Suspension will be air in the rear and it will have disc brakes all round and a driver’s bag. Emissions will have SCR technology for Euro 5 compliance.