With the upcoming closure of vehicle manufacturing in Australia, the reduction in design and development programmes, and the increasing influence of on-line vehicle and parts purchasing, there are many challenges that the Australian automotive industry will face over the coming years.
The change expected in the industry is unprecedented, and looks set to transform dramatically over the next few years. Automotive businesses in all sectors of the industry will need to innovate and adapt in order to survive, whilst others can take the opportunity to capitalise on the dynamic market situation to position themselves as industry leaders.
Australia has an incredible pool of talented and highly-skilled automotive professionals – many of whom are now available on the job market due to the winding up of R&D and manufacturing programmes at the major vehicle manufacturers. This provides a unique opportunity for automotive businesses in the retail, repair and recycling sectors to obtain talented staff that can benefit their business.
Engineers tend to be great at problem solving, numeracy, analysis and possess excellent attention to detail. They also are accustomed to working to tight deadlines, and within budgets. Many have expertise in areas of diagnostic tool use, diagnosing and resolving field complaints through interrogation of vehicle data communication systems, working with spares and warranty departments, and developing more efficient processes and workflows aimed at reducing costs.
These core skills could be of great benefit to the Automotive Dealer and Aftersales organisations – after all, who better to program an aftermarket upgrade chip than someone who worked on the product design with the OEM?
The Society of Automotive Engineers Australasia (SAE-A) is working with industry and AADA to place experienced engineers and technicians into new roles. If you are currently seeking new staff for your business, the SAE-A would be pleased to place a notification free of charge in our monthly newsletter. To include a job ad, please contact the SAE-A National Office at 03 9676 9568, or email at rose@sae-a.com.au.