Reply With QuoteThey have had to jump a few hurdles in recent years,, with recalls and telling fibs to the american Govt,, not to mention supplying imitation leather to us aussies.
At Rest
In the "Punch" today.
Every where you look you see Toyota sponsoring some event or another.Their ads try to tell us that they are going clappers and selling plenty.I'd say that "PLENTY" is all heavily discounted in order to boost sales.If their sales are so good that they appear to have lost a staggering amount and want our Government to prop them up with with a large cash injectionTOYOTA has lost a staggering $700 million in three years, but is negotiating for more taxpayer dollars to build a new model in Australia.
A senior company insider has revealed to News Limited the scale of the loss, which equates to about $3500 for every car Toyota exported to the Middle East over the past three years.
In the same period, the federal and Victorian governments contributed almost $100 million to Toyota's manufacturing operations - $35 million to go towards the local production of the Camry Hybrid and a further $63 million to go towards a $330 million upgrade of Toyota's engine factory at Altona.
Toyota Australia senior executive director Dave Buttner has confirmed to News Limited that the company is looking to build a third vehicle alongside the Camry four-cylinder and Aurion V6 sedans and that preliminary discussions have begun with state and federal governments regarding support.
"We have the capability and capacity to build another model," Mr Buttner said.
"We want to shore up our volume to make sure we can stay (manufacturing in Australia). We've appraised the government of the plans we have in place to make our manufacturing plant continue."
Despite the strong dollar sucking the profitability out of Australia's biggest automotive foreign trade, with no currency relief on the horizon, Toyota says it is trying to improve its economies of scale by increasing output at Altona from its recent low of 94,000 cars per year, and back up to almost 150,000 a year, which it last recorded in 2007. By comparison, Ford made 37,000 cars last year and Holden made about 85,000.
Toyota made critical changes to its Altona production line when it introduced the new Camry late last year that would enable a third model to be built there. But the new car most likely wouldn't be added until 2018, when the Camry and Aurion are due for a model changeover.
News Limited understands Toyota Australia looked at building the Kluger SUV and HiLux utility locally, but both options have already been ruled out.
Toyota could build the Corolla in Australia after ending local production in 1999, but it would not make enough profit from the sales of the budget-priced small car. This leaves a compact SUV as a likely candidate, but Toyota is not giving away any clues.
"We've got open eyes in terms of what we can build here," Mr Buttner said. "It would have to be something where we could get volume and have some export potential."
He would not confirm if the $3500 loss for every Camry exported over the past three years was accurate. "It's irrelevant. Our job is to manage whatever it is. Every day we have to find a better way to do what we do.
"We are 100 per cent committed to local manufacturing (despite) the challenges that our business is facing. We were the second location outside Japan to build (Toyota) cars. We were the first location outside Japan to build (Toyota) engines. We've had a long relationship. We've always expressed a strong desire to continue (manufacturing in Australia).
"Currency, when you're a significant exporter like us, is a key determinant in your overall level of profitability. We can't change the currency environment, it's a floating exchange rate, and it will move subject to the vagaries of the economy.
"We've operated in that environment as a manufacturer for 50 years and as a sales company for 53 years. So I think we've shown some intestinal fortitude to survive for that amount of time."
Mr Buttner said Toyota Australia tried to fund its own investment in future models before approaching governments for support.
"We don't go cap in hand in the first instance," he said. "We take the approach, 'what are we going do to help ourselves and how can we demonstrate that we can be competitive as a manufacturer in the Asia-Pacific region'. Then we need to ask for investment from our parent company.
"Then, naturally, you need to have a discussion with the government."
Last year, Toyota cut 350 jobs from its blue-collar workforce at Altona to about 3000 employees, due to falling export demand. But the company says it has no plans to make any further job cuts this year.
. O how the mighty have fallen.That's what you get for lying.
John
The MOD Father
They have had to jump a few hurdles in recent years,, with recalls and telling fibs to the american Govt,, not to mention supplying imitation leather to us aussies.
"How long since you've visited The Good Oil?"
'93 V8 Rossi
'97 to '07. sold.
'01 V8 D2
'06 to 10. written off.
'03 4.6 V8 HSE D2a with Tornado ECM
'10 to '21
'16.5 RRS SDV8
'21 to Infinity and Beyond!
1988 Isuzu Bus. V10 15L NA Diesel
Home is where you park it..
[IMG][/IMG]
ChatterBox
SupporterOne of my pet Hobby horses this one!
Why is it that when a company like toyota, Bluescope or any other big business loses money and has to put off workers, our government immediately finds money to shore them up... no conditions, no repayment guarantees and further, no guarantee of actually STAYING here? I remember Kodak taking a 'bail out package' years ago, $47 million then they closed 12 months later..... thanks for the gift!
A small business struggles and has to put off workers and no one says BOO. No assistance, nothing. Just more and more work to carry out on behalf of the government (GST collection is my favourite).
When will they realise that 30 small businesses going broke will put just as many on the dole as one big company..... if not more.
Sick of hearing pollies TALK about assisting small business, how about one of them actually DOING something!
D4 SDV6, a blank canvas
ChatterBox
SubscriberBit one eyed on this but if BSL closed it would be more like 200-300small businesses shutting in one town. That is 300 small businesses that produce 2.5billion dollars worth of goods. Goods that are currently undercut and dumped here by a foreign backed company but will go up by 30-50% the moment we stop making them here potentially destroying numerous other companies big and small.Originally Posted by wardy1
Proof, BSL just won their anti dumping claim against imported steel. Further the time BSL stopped producing tinplate and stainless was the time the importers(read china) who where undercutting local product pushed their prices way up! Further BSL uses about 10-20% less coal/ton of steel than the Chinese/Indian steel and DO NOT get a 15% bonus on every ton exported along with enviro controls not seen in china or India. That's the reason for halving production as the half exported was undercut below anybody's cost by Chinese export bonuses.
P.s could you please show me a small business that makes steel?
One steel has a "mini mill" at rooty hill that still employs about 400 people but it does not actually "make steel" as it is an arc furnace that melts scrap. To produce about 500,000 ton per year.
Moderator
Because when one of the big boys fall over, the wider workforce that are impacted is far greater than if I folded up shop.
Think of how many outside suppliers in medium to larger businesses supply Toyota, Ford and Holden in this country, and they aren't just from the states where the cars are made.
Eg. seat base pressings for a Commodore that was made in Sth Oz came from a company in Sydneys South West.
I think you might find (and I'm pulling these numbers out of you know wherebut I'm trying to get a point across) that it could be as high as 3x as many outside workers could be impacted as are directly employed by Toyota.
The big sheet metal pressings and most of the big castings are done in house (AFAIK), but most everything else comes from outside companies under contract.
ChatterBox
SupporterI accept the points above, but my main point is that there is absolutely NO assistance given to small business. attached to pretty much every small business is a family home and a family lifestyle. It all goes straight down the toilet and all we get are platitudes from the government of the day.... no matter which colour the government is I might add.
D4 SDV6, a blank canvas
LordRover
SubscriberIf we dont start assisting manufacturing in this country there will be nothing left for our kids to do, service jobs going to India and manufacturing etc going to China - whats left for us ?
MY08 TDV6 SE D3- permagrin ooh yeah
2004 Jayco Freedom tin tent
1998 Triumph Daytona T595
1974 VW Kombi bus
1958 Holden FC special sedan
Moderator
I know where Wardy is coming from, I've either been employed by a small business, or had my own my entire working life.
Small business employ far more people than larger companies do in Australia, take more risk yet get bugger all help from any level of government.
Do the CEO's and boards of these large multi-nationals have their actual houses on the line ?
Didn't think so.
It's just the way it is.
Another thing that people don't realise is that while export income is very important, if there was a catastrophe tomorrow and we couldn't trade with the rest of the world, our economy would still be 70-80% of what it is now, our internal economy is that large.
One of my pet topics too!
If the gov want to create jobs, (which it doesn't, govs only want to get re-elected)
Then, in theory, that bail out money could be equally spent anywhere in the economy and it would have the same effect.
You don't get more power from an engine by filling the tank up. As long as fuel goes in, power comes out.
besides, why give money to people who clearly cannot run a profitable business?
they are great at blaming currency, economy etc, but how about selling things that can't actually be delivered? (The old favourite of con men everywhere)
pet stroked,
A
Master
I belive in adapt or die.
Australia clearly can not compete in the manafacturing sector so we need to adapt to survive.
Don't know what but all the money going into proping up failing indsturies coud be put to use in adapting to the current situation.
We can't keep puting our head in the sand and sticking to manafacturing. Look at the great british car manafacturing industry that died in the arse.
Posting Permissions
| Search AULRO.com ONLY! |
Search All the Web! |
|---|
|
|
|
Bookmarks