Work starts on half-billion-dollar transformation of old Holden site
Work has officially launched on a high-tech $500 million project at the landmark Elizabeth Holden site that saw its last car roll off the production line in 2017. See the video showcasing its future.
South Australia’s former home of car manufacturing will soon become a “parcel super hub” for Australia Post and StarTrack.
Acting deputy premier and urban development minister Nick Champion joined Pelligra Group Chairman Ross Pelligra at the site on Tuesday to mark the project milestone.
Expected to open in late 2028, the $500 million project would process up to 400,000 parcels each day – double the capacity Australia Post can currently manage at its Adelaide Airport site.
The 83,000 square metre site was once home to SA’s Holden factory but the last car rolled off the production line in 2017 leading to significant job losses and ending 69 years of Australian-made car manufacturing.
Holden’s Elizabeth plant opened in 1963 and at its peak, between June 2003 and July 2005, produced 780 vehicles per day, including the VY Commodore, the Adventra, Crewman, Caprice and Statesman.
You might like
Now the site’s new owners say it will become the first facility worldwide to combine Australia Post and Startrack, and join the Lionsgate precinct of manufacturers in Adelaide’s North.
And it will be looking markedly different to the Holden days where hundreds of people worked on building cars in the plant, Australia Post’s plans include high-tech autonomous vehicles and robotic pallet movers that the company said would “reduce manual handling and improve team member safety”.
Australia Post executive general manager network operations Shane Plant said the new factory would be the “blueprint” for how the company can use high-tech to get people their parcels sooner and upskill employees.
“We’ll be looking for roles that support automation and controls, mechanical and electrical and those that can work alongside robotic systems as we continue to modernise our network,” Plant said.
Stay informed, daily
Robotic systems would help move pallets, cages and containers between the factory’s loading, sorting and storage areas to speed up production.
The new facility joins Elizabeth South’s Lionsgate precinct of manufacturers, owned by Melbourne-based developer Pelligra Group.
Pelligra Group Chairman Ross Pelligra said the project “reflects confidence in the strength of South Australia’s industrial market and its growth potential”.
“This investment is more than a development project, it is a long-term commitment in South Australia’s future,” Pelligra said.
“By revitalising a site that once stood at the heart of the state’s employment and manufacturing economy, we are helping create the next generation of industrial capability, jobs and opportunity.”
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
