Ford closure lays out blueprint for Toyota, Holden
BY TUNG NGUYEN | 6th Oct 2017
Now 12 months removed from the Ford factory shutdown, Mr Whickman said he had spoken with outgoing Toyota Australia president Dave Buttner before the shuttering of the Japanese brand’s Altona production facility earlier this week.
“Yes, but a yes that is guarded, only because we’re still competitors,” he said when asked if there had been a conversation between the two. “Having said all that, we’re still talking about employees and people.
“I rang David Buttner the night before and wished him the best, because at the end of the day their efforts would be like ours, to try and do the best for the people – and I’m not making a judgement on that, I’m just making my point of view.”Mr Whickman revealed that the closure of Ford’s local production capabilities last year set the blueprint for Toyota and, in the coming weeks, Holden to follow.
“We sit on some forums with them,” he said. “There is a Victorian automotive transformation taskforce that’s led by minister (for industry and employment Wade) Noonan and Holden, Ford and Toyota are in there and we’ve actually reviewed how we went about it (the factory closure).
“We’ve been invited to discuss in those forums, Toyota and Holden have been listening to that and been part of those forums.
“They then reviewed with minister Noonan and the rest of that group where their heads were at at certain points in time, so there has been (communication), but we have to be careful because we are competitors.”In addition to the collaborative forum and membership on the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), Mr Whickman also said worker’s unions have been in contact with one another and had high-praise for how Ford’s shutdown was handled.
“The unions obviously compare notes and I think the unions have consistently held us up as a good partner in this tough and emotional situation,” he said.
“Most importantly we’re a good employer what we were doing in terms of retraining and redeployment, and how we treated our employees with dignity and respect.
“I think their expectations were set by that, as they then move on to deal with Toyota and Holden. So it’s kind of a blueprint that we’re proud of that they are interested in.”When asked if he had any regrets in the handling of Ford’s factory closure last year, Mr Whickman replied: “No, I’m proud of what we did.
“There’s always bits and pieces you can do better,” he said. “You’re never perfect, but the 80/20 rule in terms of what we set out to do, the people first principles, how we treated our people – that's the biggest pride point I have.”Mr Whickman said he met with a lot of affected employees before the closure, some of which have landed on their feet and he is still in contact with.
“Now when I follow up and I hear stories of people who have set up their own business, becoming priests working in mission foods or embroidery companies or wherever they’ve gotten to, I’m satisfied that we did the very best we could,” he said.
