It hasn’t disappeared. It’s still here, and mostly in Victoria. At least the best of it is. And much of it’s in Epping, about 30 minutes’ drive north of Melbourne.
Yes, I know, I know; I’m a bit biased. But when I think of the projects keeping the Premcar team busy (confidential new-car development programs for global carmakers, defence engineering projects, assembling Nissan’s Warrior-enhanced off-road pick-ups; there’s more) it’s natural to feel proud. It’s also a cue to remind everyone that some of the world’s best automotive engineers and designers still call Australia home. And this is important; not only because they’re essential for the specialised car-making programs we lead but because there’s a generational change currently underway.
Our team keeps growing. A number of our more recent appointments include bright university graduates and junior engineers. They remind me of my own early years as a curly-haired rookie, working in new-model engineering programs at Ford Australia (aaah, the ‘90s). Nostalgia aside, there’s a serious point here and that’s the transfer of precious knowledge businesses like ours are responsible for.
Premcar’s engine room is driven by some of the smartest engineers Australia has produced.
Andrew Lynch, one of our Heads of Engineering, is a case in point.
Starting out in new-vehicle manufacturing in 1999, Andrew moved on to powertrain development and then later on to chassis development (where he was responsible for the suspension tuning on the entire FPV (Ford Performance Vehicles) model range). Put all of this together and Andrew’s body of knowledge and experience is, in a word, rare. And there’s one binding fact that runs through it all: it took time to develop.
It meant having to drive, navigate and solve endless new-vehicle engineering programs for many of the best-selling new cars sold here and overseas. From the start and along the way, Andrew accessed his older peers’ deep knowledge deposits, giving him not so much a short-cut to the answers he often needed but an open door to wisdom you can’t buy or develop quickly.
Fast-forward to today and his abilities to engineer world-class new cars are vast – and he’s BlueToothing all of his knowledge to his younger team members every day.
It’s how skills and knowledge survive. It’s also how civilizations develop.
Lynchy’s Premcar odometer just clicked over 20 years. Despite the milestone, he’s accelerating, not slowing. He’s driving major new-car development programs with a graduate’s enthusiasm wrapped in Takumi-level wisdom.
It’s impressive to watch.
And his knowledge sharing has huge impact. You can see it on the faces of our grads. And in the quality of the work they produce.
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.
Follow Premcar on Instagram – @premcaraustralia
Follow Premcar on LinkedIn – @Premcar Pty Ltd
