Isuzu partners with local manufacturing

Isuzu Australia says that manufacturing closures and accompanying redundancies at plants have placed decades of expertise and accumulated knowledge at risk of being lost forever.

However, the commercial vehicle sector has seen a bit of a resurgence in local manufacturing and vehicle content.

Isuzu maintains that our country has one of the most unique road networks in the world, and the engineering insights our auto workers hold are invaluable in delivering products that Aussie drivers can trust, no matter what they come up against on our road network.

The bodies on Isuzu’s Ready to Work range of light trucks, the Servicepack, Traypack, Tradepack and Vanpack all capitalise on the expertise of local suppliers and manufacturers.

“When we were expanding our Ready to Work range we wanted to utilise the body building expertise of Australian businesses. Not just to support local business, but to ensure that we had the best product available for our customers by collaborating with industry leaders with second-to-none, highly localised product knowledge,” IAL Director and COO, Phil Taylor, said.

“Our Ready to Work range is underpinned by the philosophy that the engineering and design of these trucks should be specifically catered to the requirements of Australian businesses operating on Australian roads.

We believe that this specific regional approach has helped to make the Ready to Work models a world-class pre-bodied truck range,” he said.

“With over one in four new trucks sold in Australia each year bearing the Isuzu badge, we know that Aussie businesses rely on the engineering and manufacturing skill and expertise that is core to our product offering, and is so well represented in the Ready to Work range.

Isuzu also recently announced another local collaboration for the manufacture and supply of the stylish new bullbar range for Australian and New Zealand Isuzu truck owners.

The multimillion-dollar, five-year deal, announced in June, has seen Victorian fabricator, Abcor create an additional 22 jobs and invest in a new high-tech production facility with tools supplied from Australian automotive tool makers.

IAL Chief Engineer, Product Strategy, Simon Humphries, said partnering with local truck body and component manufacturers was an excellent way to combine the global expertise of Isuzu with specific Australian manufacturing and automotive engineering skills to offer truck customers the best possible transport solutions.

“Partnering with local body builders and suppliers was a logical step for Isuzu when we released our first Ready to Work model – the original NKR 200 Tradepack – back in 2003,” Mr Humphries said.

“Isuzu trucks have always been extensively tested in the country to make sure every aspect of the truck is designed for optimum performance on the Australian road network. Isuzu Motors Limited (Japan) and Isuzu Australia engineers evaluate and tweak every aspect of a vehicle – from fine-tuning the suspension to making sure the gearing ratios are optimised – ensuring they’re suited to Australian conditions.”

“The decision to have these bodies constructed in Australia continues this customer-focused approach, an approach that has helped Isuzu Australia maintain market leadership for 28 years by producing hundreds of thousands of vehicles that Australian businesses trust.”

The Australian made bodies and Ready to Work models are fitted with an Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM) plate, streamlining the process for buyers with all aspects of the vehicle compliant for local operation and covered by an Isuzu factory warranty.

Mr Humphries said knowing they’ll be able to get on with business straight after driving out of the showroom is why so many Australian truck buyers are choosing the Ready to Work range.

“We’re seeing some of these Ready to Work trucks with their Australian made bodies perform some very important work across the country. Emergency and disaster recovery services providers are choosing the Servicepack variants with its handy and versatile field service body while delivery companies are utilizing the NNR 45/55-150 AMT Vanpack to help them tackle the urban cut and thrust of the ever increasing national freight task,” he said.

“Every component in these vehicles has been designed specifically for Australian conditions,” he concluded.