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Ronnyboy

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Posts posted by Ronnyboy

    Took a loooong drive today...

    in Club Lounge

    Posted

    If you think that's long, try combining it with a there-and-back trip from Newcastle......Newcastle-Glebe-Berowra-Wollombi-Broke-Putty-Windsor-Castle Hill-Newcastle, with only one driver.....man that was long day, but an awesome cruise.

    This is an awesome cruise if you have a few cars tagging along....

    Reduced demand for Aurion and Camry

    in General Toyota & Other Car Discussions

    Posted

    Some light reading.

    Reduced demand for Aurion and Camry is behind Toyota's announcement of redundancies at Altona

    President of Toyota Australia, Max Yasuda, has told staff at the company's Altona manufacturing plant that 350 jobs must go in the aftermath of shrinking demand in domestic and export markets for the two products built there, Camry and Aurion.

    Described in a press release as "compulsory redundancies", the job cuts at Altona are a consequence of global demand for the plant's products dropping from 149,000 cars in 2007 to 94,000 last year.

    Yasuda said: "It is unfortunate that we have to take this action and we will ensure affected employees are supported during this process.

    "In consideration of current and anticipated market conditions this action is necessary. It is not possible to maintain our workforce at its current size.

    "Toyota Australia is facing severe operating conditions resulting in unsustainable financial returns due to factors including the strong Australian currency, reduced cost competitiveness and volume decline, especially in export markets."

    The announcement comes at a time when Toyota should actually be ramping up production of the new Camry, which has just been launched in Australia, and the imminent new Aurion. Also due in the near future is the Hybrid version of the Camry. Toyota does anticipate that demand in 2012 should come up about a thousand units, but that's not enough to compensate for the excess capacity afflicting the manufacturing arm here.

    The company's domestic and export sales were badly affected last year by the twin disasters of tsunami and earthquake that swept through northern Japan in March. That should have created a considerable backlog of orders for the factory in Altona, west of Melbourne, but not enough to stave off job shedding, apparently.

    "The reality is that our volumes are down," Yasuda continued. "What we assumed was a temporary circumstance has turned into a permanent situation. This drop of 36 per cent in just four years shows the scale of our challenges."

    Toyota has been the only local manufacturer to pass through the GFC without having retrenched production line staff, but now even the Big T has had to succumb to economic pressures — and the most notable pressure has been applied by the historically strong Australian dollar. Yasuda seems confident that Toyota's local manufacturing can remain viable in the longer term, however, and like both Holden and Ford, its car-building presence has come to be considered an integral aspect of the brand in Australia.

    "Manufacturing is a vital element of our overall operations in Australia," said Yasuda. "The actions we take now to transform our business will pave the way for our future success as a leading manufacturer and marketer of vehicles to local and export customers."

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