Words by Gerald Lynch, Northern Star Weekly

Ford Australia, along with engineering specialists RMA Automotive, have begun re-manufacturing right-hand drive F-150 trucks for Australian customers at a production facility in Mickleham.

Star Weekly was invited to a tour of the impressive 21,000 square metre facility, where the team, composed mainly of locals, was wasting no time on getting to work on the re-manufacturing of Ford’s iconic trucks.

The level of detail and care being put into the trucks was fascinating, with an assembly line boasting 65 individual stations.

The facility has the capacity of both space and labour to complete the re-manufacture of 20 F-150s every day.

The re-manufacturing process is extremely detailed to ensure that no quality is lost in the right-hand drives. It includes a full strip of the chassis as the F-150 begins its journey down the production line.

The trucks receive new wiper linkages and blades, a new towbar, new electrical harnesses and climate control features.

They also adapt and improve child restraints, door switches, radio system, brake pedals, carpets, and drive footrests among many other features.

One of the great features of the Mickleham facility is the jobs it has provided to the people of Melbourne’s north.

General manager RMA Automotive Holdings, Australia, Trevor Negus spoke of the importance of local workers in the production of the trucks, saying a wide range of cultures and backgrounds are employed in the hard-working environment.

“Almost all of our production staff are living in these developments around here, hence why our programs with the Whittlesea Council have been so successful,” he said.

“They’ve drilled into the local community, screened people for us, and now we’ve got people from all different sorts of underrepresented backgrounds working with us.

“There is a lot of diversity in both age, gender and culture. We’ve got a pair of refugees from Iraq that have been in five different camps across Europe, and they’ve been able to settle down here and are absolutely delighted to be working here.”

RMA Automotive’s partnership with the Whittlesea Council has allowed many highly qualified immigrants who have recently made their way into Australia to receive a two-week intensive English course before settling in as part of the workforce.

The opportunities that RMA and Ford are providing to northern residents of underrepresented backgrounds are invaluable, giving them employment opportunities and a strong sense of purpose.

Customer deliveries throughout Australia are set to begin in November.