After opening in 1982 and producing millions of parts exported around the world, the Nissan Casting Australia Plant has been recognised as making 'true blue' products.
Nissan Australia has gained certified ‘Australian Made’ labelling for parts made at its casting plant in Dandenong South, Victoria after 43 years of operation.
Though the Nissan Casting Australia Plant (NCAP) has had a kangaroo easter egg on all its manufactured components since opening in 1982, the Japanese brand has only now gone through the certification process for the ‘Australian Made’ status.
In time for ‘Australian Made’ week, designed to highlight products produced locally, Nissan had to submit an application to the organisation and prove its casting plant components are materially changed from their original import state.
Put another way, the aluminium ingots imported and used in Nissan’s manufacturing process to create vehicle components are substantially different – or ‘Australian Made’ in their new forms.
It means Nissan is allowed to use the widely recognised green and gold ‘Australian Made’ kangaroo logo on its casting plant products, which includes 25 different vehicle components and six bullbars used in vehicles around the world.
Other products carrying the same certification include Gaia Natural baby products, Wundies wool underwear, and Crimsafe security screens.
The casting plant employees 192 staff members and runs 24-hour shifts 5-6 days per week to produces 1.2 million parts per year – making it one of the largest OEM (original equipment manufacturer)-backed local production facilities still in service after Australian vehicle manufacturing shuttered in 2017.
Components include high-pressure die-cast aluminium components found in Nissan’s EVs, e-Power hybrid models, internal combustion engine vehicles, and final drive parts.
NCAP provides parts for the manual-equipped Navara ute, new-generation Y63 Patrol off-roader, X-Trail family SUV, and Japanese-market Serena and Note e-Power hybrids.
It is currently unconfirmed if Aussie parts will make their way into the upcoming third-generation Leaf or Nissan’s new third-generation e-Power hybrid systems that will first be made available in the Qashqai small SUV.
While the green and gold kangaroo logo will not adorn internal parts – only the die-cast kangaroo will remain – the sticker will be applied to bullbars for the Navara model.
Nissan Australia and Oceania Managing Director Andrew Humberstone said he is “incredible proud” of NCAP’s achievements.
“The Nissan Casting Australia Plant is a true local automotive manufacturing success story, and it’s one we’re incredibly proud of,” Humberstone said.
“Earning official Australian Made certification is recognition of the team’s hard work over a long period time in producing world-class componentry that appears in Nissan vehicles around the world.”
Meanwhile, Australian Made Chief Executive Ben Lazzaro congratulated Nissan for its certification.
“There is a growing demand for Australian products, with country-of-origin increasingly influencing purchasing decisions,” Lazzaro said.
“Aussie products are manufactured to some of the highest standards in the world, making them trusted and known for their safety and quality.
“It’s a great achievement for a company to join this esteemed group.”
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
