Australian Crane and Machinery will make elevated work platforms and cranes at the former Holden plant in Elizabeth, South Australia, from 2019.
A new manufacturing centre will be built in the new Lionsgate Business Park, generating 190 jobs in the 28,000 square-metre site after a $2.2 million grant from the state government’s Economic Investment Fund.
ACM will manufacture cranes for both domestic and international customers, employing metal fabricators, welders, fitters and machinists, auto electricians, and will create work for those building the facility in the Pelligra Group’s developed site.
The new jobs will bolster the company’s current 17-strong technical, managerial, operational and sales staff, and as the largest privately-owned crane manufacturer in Oceania, will fulfill orders from as far as the United States, Canada and Chile.
Some of ACM’s products include road rail vehicles, truck-mounted 12-70 metre elevated work platforms, hydraulic, rough-terrain and lattice boom hydraulic cranes, and they’re a distributor for Kobelco Cranes.
ACM managing director Ben Potter says his business is yet another which benefits from both South Australia’s labour force and the state’s pioneering shift to renewable energy.
“We have chosen South Australia as the location for ACM’s newest production facility, due to the presence of skilled labour, engineers and a stable workforce and political environment,” he explains.
“The location is excellent for export market shipping and access to wind farms where our largest units are used for maintenance. Of course, the weather is also great, which is important for us working and testing our machines in the field.”
Potter says tipping back into the state sends a strong message about Australian products.
“ACM products are on the cutting edge of technological innovation, and we’re also developing greener, battery-powered machines with a lower environmental impact,” he says.
“I personally would like to thank the South Australian Government, through IASA (Investment Attraction South Australia), and Premier Jay Weatherill for their assistance in making Adelaide the choice destination for our next expansion.
“Our ACM products are designed for the world and are globally competitive, and due to the ever-increasing global population and customer demand, ACM needs to expand our manufacturing facilities,” Potter adds.
