Elizabeth Icons: General Motors Holden (GMH)

The GM-Holden Elizabeth facility, often referred to as the Holden Elizabeth plant, was located in Elizabeth, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The plant produced the Holden Commodore range/Chevrolet SS Sedan as well as the Holden Caprice/Chevrolet Caprice PPV. The plant closed in October 2017.

Opened: 1963
Address: 180 Philip Highway, Elizabeth South Australia 5112, Australia
Closed: October 20, 2017

History
The construction of the Elizabeth plant commenced in May 1958, with the groundbreaking celebration — a ceremonial pouring of concrete — witnessed by Managing Director Earl Daum. The plant’s body hardware plant opened in 1960 while the body and vehicle assembly plant opened in 1962. Queen Elizabeth visited and toured the plant in 1963.

Since being opened, the Elizabeth plant has played an important part in the development of GM-Holden. The facility has undergone continual revisions, upgrades and modernization over the years until its closure in October 2017.

Closure
In December 2013, GM-Holden announced that it would transition to a national sales company and full-line importer in Australia and New Zealand by the end of 2017. The transition calls for the closure of all manufacturing operations in Australia, including vehicle production at the Elizabeth plant and engine production at the Port Melbourne plant. It also calls for a reduction of engineering operations in the country.

According to GM-Holden, 2,900 jobs would be lost over four years — 1,600 from Elizabeth and 1,300 from Victoria, which housed Holden’s Port Melbourne plant.

Timeframe

The first step in winding down the Elizabeth plant was the discontinuation of Holden Cruze production in October 2016. Then, in January 2017, Holden announced that October 20th, 2017 will be the last day of production for the vehicles that were still being built at the plant — the Zeta platform Commodore and Caprice.

The cessation of manufacturing operations in the Elizabeth plant makes Holden the last automaker to shutter its manufacturing base in Australia, with Ford being first to do so, and Toyota being second.

Reasons For Closure

Though GM-Holden did not share official reasons for its transition into a national sales company, it is believed that the following factors played into the decision:

A lack of import tariffs, making it attractive to import vehicles into Australia rather than build them locally
An extremely strong Australian dollar, bringing the price of imported vehicles to a 30-year low
High labor costs in Australia which, coupled with a strong Australian dollar, makes it financially unattractive to operate a plant in the country
Low demand in the local market, making it financially unattractive to operate a plant dedicated to producing vehicles for Australia.

[albymangled]

Almost shed one...worked there aged 16 in 1975 (first job) and again in 82-83 before moving on. 
Still live in the Elizabeth area (Craigmore) and still can't believe it every time i drive past the plant. 
RIP GMH.

[peterthomas]

To all involved at GMH Elizabeth, i can say that you should all be so proud of what was acheived at the plant.
My wife and i bought a VF SSV wagon new in 2016 (daily driven with kids & always will be) and not only is it the best car that we have ever driven in every possible way, it's the type of car we are going to absolutely maintain even better then the service recommendations, to make it last as long as possible because for one why would we want to replace a car that is unreplaceable & also to keep some form of what we had here alive for many years.

[alanbennett]

We came from country SA to live nearby as Dad got a GMH job 1959. A number of others we knew worked there. Annual social events added to the community feel, but Dad only did 5years. My career had association with Holdens in minor ways, then major for 10years, GMH as client with new vehicle logistics business. I was very familiar with the factory from almost it's inception to end of production, & my son-in-law worked there for a number of years, in sense making a Holden's story = 3generations.
Recent contact with earlier country peers shows our move to Elizabeth was, in hindsight, comparatively more favourable for our/my prospects.

[catey]

Holdens played a big part for my family in the 80's. at one stage my Brother and I, our younger sister, our brother in law and my Step daughter all worked there. as well as several close friends of mine too. I was there from 1987 to 1997, only leaving due to my ex falling ill and having to look after them. my brother, who started a few months earlier than me ended up being there for nearly 24 years. I was a leading hand in the body shop, ( plant 2 ) looking after the section that metal finished the mig brazed roof joints as well as fitting bootlids, wagon tailgates and several other jobs. was the best 10 years of my working life at that place. my brother was a forkie in the press shop ( plant 4 ) my sister worked in the trim shop as did my brother in law, and my step daughter worked in trim fab where they did the upholstery.

we were still building the VL Commodore when I started, and I left just before the VT Commodore was released, but I did get to see the pilot models of them coming down the line just prior to my leaving.

[airdbreck]

I worked there from 1989 to 2006 so much learned Holden’s Production System was well ahead of its of other manufacturing plants

[Dirtst]

I have so many memories of GMH, every second kid had a dad, mum, brother or sister that worked at GMH.Playing in GMH as a kid riding my bike through the factory and playing in the tunnels are only some of the memories, no one threw Christmas parties like GMH

[Traeallportx]

I am so close to shedding a tear this is a big part of my family because i see photos of my father in 76 sitting in 1970s holden utes and monaros and nod that my fatherd owns 71 ls monaro its impacted my life

[CreativeDee]

I think everyone that lived in the Northern areas knew at least one person that worked at GMH. I knew 4 people. :)

[peterbrittain]

i started work there in 87, 18 years old, , painting VL commodores then the VN commos.. all my mates worked there at some point .. as relief operator, , i did everyones jobs while they went for smoko, , the line didnt stop in the paint shop . i had an hour for lunch, , but all my mates were still working, , used to visit daveo in the body shop, have a smoke and try out the spot welder he was using.. i was the only bloke in the body shop with white overalls ..
arvo shift, , thought i would take a VN for a spin around the plant... flat out behind the main building, , , knocked that sucker into park trying to manual shift, , locked it up, , put it in nutral while still skidding, , restarted the car and parked it back where i took it from... that was the only VN out of 100, , parked the wrong way.. told everyone, dont buy that red one, , its got a stuffed

[jordanscarreviews]

It is sad that Holden is closing down.

[itznsdominator]

My exs step dad worked at GMH, and my brothers misses Dad worked at Mitsubishi at Tonsely Park. Elizabeth was an industrial powerhouse. What the hell happened to this place. I drive through Lizzy and I see crack heads, Eshays, Drug dealers, Sketchy people. I once saw a Meth Head with no shoes no shirt in stubbie shorts running across the road between HJS and Shell, Giggling with 2 bikes, one on his shoulder and the other under his arm with two Coppers chasing after him. Crazy place Lizzy.

[Truthall]

GM likkke other manufacturers were warned in the early nineties to streamline their processes but didnt listen, i work with some of the worlds biggest plants and was shocked to see how badly managed they were, there was a lack of urgency to move forwards, no attention to improving processes and quality these plants were behind the times but lived inside a bubble, all the plants i worked with survived and thrived and i went on to help setup new plants around the world, moving plants into indonesia and SA, GM and Ford were the worst offenders and had the largest closure rate, they failed their workers but took massive amounts of bailout money, well into the billions and shafted their workers, these companiies should never have received these bailouts, now the car company in the world is being subsidised, Tesla to the tune of billions per year to produce sub standard wehicles

[ableadelaide]

Tom Playford was the best Premier this state ever had. Ever since Dunstan and his disciples got their hands on government the whole state has gone down the toilet. I find it ironic that Elizabeth is such a stronghold for the Labour party, and yet it is Labour that is responsible for the poverty and joblessness all around.

[mr.sunnyg]

One of the oldest car companies in the world... thanks GM and Abbott, thanks wall street for the gfc, and others... if it wasn't for all ya help who knows what would happen 😅😅 anyway burn in hell ya crooks... long live holden.