$816,000 Grant Towards Auto Supercharger Expansion

Victorian automotive supply chain company, Total Tooling Co., has been awarded a grant of $816,000 to increase its capability to further supply the growing ‘high performance vehicle’ aftermarket supply chain.

Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Christopher Pyne today announced that Total Tooling Co. was successful in gaining a matching grant under Round 3 of the Automotive Diversification Programme.

As part of the Australian Government’s $155 million Growth Fund, the Automotive Diversification Programme assists innovative Australian automotive component manufacturers to diversify into new markets and products.

Pressed-metal manufacturer Total Tooling Co. is a local Toyota supplier and is just one of many Australian companies looking to move out of the domestic automotive manufacturing sector before local car manufacturing ends in 2017.

The grant funding will support a $2.4 million expansion to produce a range of engine components, including an immediate opportunity to produce supercharger components for export into the USA. Superchargers are air compressors that increase the pressure of air supplied to an internal combustion engine. This provides each intake cycle of the engine more oxygen and fuel mixture, and hence the ability to do more work, thereby increasing the engine’s power.

The funding will facilitate the purchase of specialist equipment including multi axes CNC machinery and precise-measurement equipment to form a ‘Flexible Manufacturing System’ at the company’s Croydon South plant in Victoria.

"Total Tooling Co. is a local company bucking manufacturing trends by leveraging off its 33 years of automotive expertise to develop new capabilities, continuing growing and diversifying into export markets," Mr Pyne said.

“As one of the country’s largest suppliers of complex tooling, machined components and pressed parts for the Australian automotive industry, the company has been proactive about looking for new markets, which has resulted in securing new customers in the automotive ‘aftermarket’ supply chain.”

"This project will contribute to retaining manufacturing capability within Australia as the Automotive Diversification Programme - along with the other Growth Fund initiatives - provides Australian businesses and innovators the confidence to grow, create new opportunities and compete in both domestic and global markets."

Federal Member for Casey Tony Smith MP said it was fantastic that Total Tooling Co., a locally owned and operated business, will be able to expand to produce new and innovative engine components.

“Total Tooling Co. is an innovative business in the local electorate of Casey which will be able to purchase specialist equipment to enable them to produce even more machined components for new markets,” Mr Smith said.

“I congratulate owner and Managing Director Slavko Habjan and his team on being successful in receiving $816,000 in funding, which will assist them to continue to grow and support local jobs and our local economy.”