I had someone ask me this recently. It caught my attention because it was said with that ring of “which private school did you go to?”

Now, there are lots of ways drop a business brag into a conversation and I figure I’ve just been reminded this is one of them. I get it; “bigger looks better” for some people but, as with any number in business, there’s always a story behind it.

Here’s the short answer to that question: Premcar directly employs around 100 people in Australia, primarily in new-vehicle engineering and manufacturing.

Here’s the extra part to that answer: that number is, in effect, around 2,300, thanks to Premcar being part of RLE Group International, one of the world’s leading development, technology and consulting companies in global engineering.

And there’s a twist here: those extra 2,200 skilled people aren’t directly employed by Premcar, but we access them directly as if they were.

In the car-making world, RLE Group International is a big player. Chances are the car you drive has their engineering DNA in it. Located throughout Europe, the UK, India and China, RLE Group works alongside (and also inside) some of the world’s biggest car-makers, from their design, engineering and development departments through to their assembly lines.

And because they’re a partner of Premcar we get to access their 35 years of global car-making skills in every area, from engineering to manufacturing.

It’s like having an extra A-squad on hand for whenever you need them. It means we get the best of both worlds – a large and highly experienced Australian team and an even bigger overseas team – for anything we need when we’re creating world-class OEM-level new cars in Australia for automakers.

Don’t get me wrong; big numbers can be great. I’m all for growth and fostering talent. Our team at Premcar keeps growing and our people – along with their experience, skills, drive and ethics – are critical to our continued success. But putting too much focus on ‘how many people you have’ puts you at risk of overlooking who you’re serving (your customers and community), why you’re doing it (to help advance their businesses and nurture your own at the same time) and what it all means (business success for you and your customers, long-term employment for people, a stronger economy, and generations enriched with precious, sought-after knowledge and skills.)

So, always remember: it’s not the number, but what the number means – for everyone, especially customers.

Bernie Quinn – Engineering Director, Premcar Pty Ltd

About Premcar – Premcar Pty Ltd is a leading Australian vehicle engineering business that specialises in the automotive, defence and aerospace industries. For more than 25 years, global car-makers have made Premcar their go-to partner for the complete design, engineering and manufacture of niche-model new cars, full-scale new-vehicle development programs, and electric vehicle (EV) conversions and manufacturing. As the name behind more than 200,000 new cars and 55,000 new-vehicle engines, Premcar’s body of work is extensive and has delivered technical and sales success for major car brands from Europe, the USA, Japan, China and Australia. Visit premcar.com.

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