Elizabeth, South Australia.
A short history:
In May, 1958, the foundations for a new General Motors-Holden's automotive plant were poured in a paddock close to the satellite city of Elizabeth, north of Adelaide, South Australia.
At its close, the 123 hectare site housed GM Holden's world-competitive vehicle manufacturing facility. This flexible operation employed around 3,400 people and produced the Holden Caprice and Statesman, the top-selling Calais, Berlina and Commodore range of sedans (all in right and left-hand drive configurations) and the Holden Ute for domestic and export markets.
Main facilities include a press plant and metal assembly operation, body hardware facility, paint shop, plastics operation, body assembly and vehicle assembly operations
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In 1924, HMMB opened a new production plant in the suburb of Woodville and became the sole supplier of bodies for General Motors vehicles, among them Buick, Chevrolet, Oakland and Oldsmobile. HMMB also produced bodies for other US and European marques such as Hudson, Chrysler, Plymouth, DeSoto, Dodge and Willys. A 1931 merger between General Motors Australia and Holden’s Motor Body Builders saw the formation of General Motors-Holden's. Models produced in subsequent years included Pontiac, Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, Vauxhall and Bedford.
During WWII, the GM-H plants including Woodville made a major contribution to the country's defence effort, producing, among other things, aircraft, army vehicles, boats, ordnance and munitions. The Woodville plant also played a key role in the manufacture of bodies for the famous first Holden, the 48-215, released in 1948. However, it was becoming obvious that the Woodville site was too small to accommodate the ambitious expansion plans being promulgated for the future GMH business, so a search was started for a new plant site.
Meanwhile, it had been announced that the South Australian Land Trust were beginning to develop a new satellite city, named Elizabeth after Queen Elizabeth. The trust was building, through private contractors, an entirely new city that was projected have 50,000 citizens by 1968. It was served by a railway from Adelaide and the main north-south road passes through the city so that it was only a 22 minute journey to Adelaide by rail. The planners also provided space for industries to build factories in certain areas.
So, in late 1955, when approached by GMH for help in finding a new site, South Australian Premier Sir Thomas Playford persuaded them that any new Holden factory should be sited at Elizabeth.
He recounted his story of how this happened at an Elizabeth and Districts Foundation Luncheon in 1979; this was recorded and is available on YouTube, link in table below. An edited transcript follows:
Mr Playford said that "a Housing Trust General Manager, Alex Ramsay, was told to escort the GM President (sic) to Elizabeth and sell him whatever land he liked. Playford told Mr Ramsay that ‘any reasonable request would be met.’ ‘If they wanted us to bend a road, we would bend it.’ In fact, this was done and explains why the main road, Philip Highway, today has a deviation from the original which ran straight through the Holden plant and was known as Glue Pot Road.
Ramsay returned to the city with the news that he had sold GM 324 acres. But there was a problem; the land he’d sold didn’t actually belong to the Housing Trust. It was owned by an old farmer, Kevin Judd, who had always refused to part with it - and it was the only site GMH was interested in. It couldn’t be compulsorily acquired because it wasn’t for Government purposes. So Ramsay had to go back to purchase the land.
However, the farmer took some persuading winning over. He established that the farmer would be making a rare trip to Adelaide to collect a load of barley for his cows at Kent Town malt house. Ramsay at once expressed great interest in the operation and offered to meet his new friend at the malt house and help him load his truck.
It was a very hot day and the farmer was elderly and Alex was not a strong person. However, between them they got the ancient truck loaded. The farmer told Alex he knew they could get a couple of pots of free beer from a window at the back of the malt house.
After several rounds the farmer said: ‘Ramsay, I’d sell you the land you want but I don’t want to handle all that money. What do I do?’
Alex told him to hang on while he rang the Premier for advice. It was decided that Ramsay would become his unpaid attorney and take charge of the money.
The deal was then clinched.
When the Premier told the GM President (sic) the story he said they would need only a small part of their 300 acres during the next few years. So far as the company was concerned Kevin could stay where he was and go on farming for the rest of his life free of any rent or other costs. And that’s what happened. Alex Ramsay looked after the farmer’s money until Judd died in September 1964."
What Playford usually neglected to add to this entertaining story is that Kevin Judd may have been cannier than he was given credit for. His obstinate refusal to sell his land until the last moment had gained him a price of £1,030 an acre for it - a record price for that area.
[Sir Tom mentions in the recording that he met with the GM President Mr Donner and agreed to the land sale with him. However, Mr Donner was not in Australia at that time and did not become GM President until 1958. A GM Vice-President, Mr E S Hoglund was visiting Woodville at the time, and it is more likely that he and GMH Managing Director, Mr Daum were involved in the discussions.
The size and price of the land are also at variance with the facts gained from the Land Titles, which show that only 232 acres were purchased by GMH. Interestingly, the Land Titles also show that farmer Keith Judd only sold a 70 acre portion of the land to the Housing Trust.]
There were subsequently some small changes to the area, a triangle of land to the west between the railway line and their boundary, which they bought, and a small triangle at the south-east corner, which they sold to the Housing Trust. In 1960, a 2.5 acre parking lot was purchased across the Phillip Highway from the Plant.
Foundations for the new Elizabeth plant were poured in May, 1958. Mr Daum did the official honours by pulling the handle of the Readymix truck, watched by Messrs F.P. Callahan, J.R. Holden, J.K. Stuart, H.W. Rymill, T.A. Wylie, B.C. Newland, H.M. Longbottom, E.C. Poole, J.J. Holden, A.G. Gibbs and R. Irwin. Only "News" was invited to photograph and report the function - The internal program said "Need to inject some note that it was only a domestic affair to avoid any query from Salisbury Councillors and others." Then followed a short look around after the ceremony and a 12 o'clock lunch at Hotel Elizabeth in a private room.
More than 10,000 tons of plant and equipment were moved from the Woodville plant to facilitate the opening of Holden's body hardware plant operations at Elizabeth in 1959.
A $3,000,000 vehicle body assembly plant opened at Elizabeth in 1962, the same year that the millionth Holden was built. It produced Holden sedan, station sedan and Vauxhall bodies to 'body in white' stage for shipment to GMH vehicle assembly plants throughout Australia.
In 1963, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the facility. That year saw the new body assembly, paint shop and trim assembly plants begin operation and the opening of the Elizabeth office block and cafeteria. Trim fabrication commenced early in 1964.
January 1965 saw a major milestone at Elizabeth when its General Assembly Plant began operations, producing the HD model Holden. In August, assembly operations covering Bedford, Chevrolet, Vauxhall and Pontiac were transferred from the Birkenhead plant, which was then closed.
A new sheet metal stamping plant opened at Elizabeth in 1966.
From the introduction of the HQ Holden range in 1971, all commercial bodies - Ute, Panel Van and the Cab Chassis "One Tonner", were all produced at Elizabeth. They were then shipped to interstate plants for mechanical completion.
Holden consolidated its Manufacturing Engineering operations at Elizabeth in 1976 and a new $8 million plastics plant began operation there in 1981.
In 1984, Holden announced a facilities rationalisation plan to concentrate operations in Victoria and South Australia. A single point tooling body facility for the 1985 RB Gemini was completed at Elizabeth and the last WB Statesman was produced there in December.
A further $320 million facilities investment was announced in 1985, bringing new processes in plastics, metal stamping and assembly plants
A $12 million investment in facilities upgrades to improve quality and increase plant capacity was announced in 1987 and a second shift commenced at Elizabeth in November that year.
In 1989, when production ceased at Holden's Dandenong (Vic) plant, Elizabeth became the centre of Holden's entire vehicle manufacturing operation.
The five millionth Holden, a VN Calais, was produced at Elizabeth in August 1990. Through 1993, $100 million was invested in plant and equipment for the VR Commodore update and a $150 million New Enamel Paint Shop (NEPS) facility began operation in 1994.
In 1995, annual production exceeded 100,000 vehicles for the first time.
Plans were announced for a second car line (Vectra) at Elizabeth in 1997 and Vectra sedan and wagon production began in 1998. Volume export shipments of left-hand drive Commodores to the Middle East commenced in the same year and shipments of Statesman/Caprice-based models began in 1999.
Production of Vectra sedans and wagons ceased in 2000 and 2001 saw the six millionth Holden, a VX Commodore SS, roll off the Elizabeth line.
In 2002, Holden announced a $2 billion, five-year vehicle and engine plant capacity expansion program and in 2003 a third shift commenced at Elizabeth in June - employing 1,000 extra personnel
The Elizabeth manufacturing facility underwent a major revamp in 2004 as part of a $400 million capital expenditure project.
A restructure announcement in 2005 heralded the wind-down of the third shift and a production rate revision.
Production of the all-new VE Commodore sedan range began at Elizabeth in July 2006. It reflected a $532 million investment in major upgrade works, including a revamped general assembly operation.
In 2007, GM Holden's Elizabeth vehicle manufacturing operation produced 107,795 vehicles for domestic and export markets. More than 36,000 of these were exported under the GM brands of Chevrolet, Holden, Vauxhall and Pontiac to markets in Brazil, the Middle East, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the USA. Increased plant efficiency led to a reduction of 600 positions at Elizabeth operations. The final VZ model, a wagon, was built in September - the last of more than 1.2 million VT Series derivatives built at Elizabeth since 1997.
Full production of the SS Commodore-based Pontiac GB for US export began in December 2007. The Pontiac GB GXP sedan export program began in late 2008 and saw Holden's Elizabeth plant expand its production to 44 models off six variants.
On Monday, 18 August 2008, the seventh Millionth Holden rolled off the line. Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research was on hand to congratulate GM Holden on the production of the seventh millionth vehicle in its 60th anniversary year. He noted it would be fitted with a dual-fuel LPG system. ·Senator Carr applauded Holden on its proud history and its ongoing contribution to the Australian automotive industry.
"Since the first vehicle rolled off the production line, Holden has proved to be a crucial player in the Australian automotive industry," Senator Carr said.
"Holden has produced iconic vehicles including the EH Holden, the Monaro, the Torana and the Commodore which have become an important part of Australian automotive history - and I am sure there are plenty more to come. …"Australia is one of 15 countries in the world that has the know-how to produce motor vehicles. It is crucial that we work toward an industry that is successful and competitive in the new world of global competition, environmental challenges and increasing fuel costs," Senator Carr said.
More than 41,000 Commodores are exported to North America as Pontiac sedans between November 2007 and February 2009, almost equivalent to Holden's annual sales of Commodore at the time – but the deal ends when the Pontiac brand is axed during the Global Financial Crisis.
More than 41,000 Commodores are exported to North America as Pontiac sedans between November 2007 and February 2009, almost equivalent to Holden's annual sales of Commodore at the time – but the deal ends when the Pontiac brand is axed during the Global Financial Crisis.
In 2011, the Holden Cruze went into production alongside the Commodore in the Elizabeth factory, having initially imported the model from South Korea since June 2009. Prime Minister Julia Gillard attends the ceremony and drives the first Australian-made Holden Cruze off the production line.
Holden begins exporting the Caprice limousine in 2012 to the US as a police car.
The new generation Holden Commodore VF goes on sale in 2013, the same month Ford announces its factories will shut in October 2016. By October, Holden began exporting the Holden Commodore SS V8 sports sedan as a Chevrolet SS. It was also the basis for Chevrolet’s Nascar, putting the ‘Commodore’ in front of the biggest sporting audience ever.
However, the Federal Government was still pushing GM to detail their forward plans for Holden, or lose all government support. In December 2013, treasurer Joe Hockey challenged Holden to “come clean” on its future manufacturing plans, with an “either you’re here or you’re not” speech. Days after Hockey’s speech, and one day after a Productivity Commission review, Holden boss Mike Devereux announced Holden would close its manufacturing operations in 2017. Holdens would continue in business by importing fully built-up vehicles from Opel and other GM overseas plants.
In preparation for the total local factory close down, Holden began winding back operations. On 7 October 2016 the last Holden Cruze rolled off the Elizabeth production line, the same day as Ford closed its Broadmeadows and Geelong plants. The Port Melbourne engine plant shut its door on 29 November 2016, after 68 years of continuous operation since 1948, and more than 10 million engines produced.
But in March 2017, General Motors sold its loss-making European brands (Opel in Germany and Vauxhall in the UK) to Peugeot-Citroen. The French car giant said it would honour its obligation to supply Holden with the Commodore and Astra. General Motors executives flatly denied rumours there was a secret plan to bundle Holden with the sale of Opel and Vauxhall.
Holden built its – and Australia’s – last car, a red Holden Commodore V8 on 20 October 2017 in a private ceremony attended by 1000 factory workers past and present.
Thus finally closing the Elizabeth Plant.
Postscript: Holden began importing the new generation Opel Insignia in November 2017 – with a choice of four-cylinder or V6 power – and rebadged it as a Commodore. There was no V8 in Holden showroom for the first time in decades. However, sales flagged and fell well below expectations.
But in a bigger blow to Holden’s prospects of ongoing business in Australia, in February 2020 General Motors announced it was getting out of all right-hand drive markets globally, with Holden dealers due to shut their doors by the end of 2020.