As part of a $6.5 million investment, Austin Engineering will upgrade and automate the design and manufacturing facilities at its Perth hub. Austin currently offer the design and manufacture of dump truck bodies, buckets, water tanks, tyre handlers and more as part of its JEC and WESTECH brands.
The end goal is automation and a reduction in production time. These investments will see Austin devise a new standardised manufacturing approach with increased custom jigs, fixtures and workstations. Other goals include lowering the overall cost base, decreasing the workshop capacity required and waste reduction.
Truck body manufacturing currently serves as 70% of Austin’s annual revenue. The investment will see this sector of the business optimised.
Austin chief operating officer and managing director David Singleton is excited by what’s to come for the company.
“Improvements being made in Austin’s manufacturing facilities in Perth and Batam, Indonesia, will elevate an already market-leading service offering. We will be able to deliver products more quickly, in larger quantities, with less waste and with improved quality, while still offering tailored design and engineering solutions to our customers,” Singleton said.
“What is exciting about our manufacturing improvement project is its scalability at a relatively modest incremental cost. This made the decision to adopt a fast follow from Perth to Batam easy. The investments made also support longer term strategies around product and service innovation as outlined in our strategic review.”