A Melbourne car parts manufacturer has bucked the downward trend hitting the automotive sector, with about 30 new jobs to be added to its workforce.
Mett Pty Ltd, a high-pressure <link _top>aluminium diecasting facility in Melbourne's south-east, will supply High Feature V6 front engine cover assemblies to General Motors in the US, Canada and Port Melbourne.
The extra production is expected to double the company's turnover and result in sales of between $57 million to $75 million, with exports accounting for two-thirds of the total.
Victoria's Industry and Trade Minister Theo Theophanous said up to 30 jobs would be created in the first year.
"The project demonstrates how local automotive manufacturers can remain internationally competitive by modernising production equipment and plugging into global supply chains," he said in a statement.
Mett executive manager Erwin Schulter said production of the engine covers would be ready to start within months.
But the industry as a whole was weak and the company was fortunate it had not been hit by any redundancies, he said.
Mett employs about 300 people at its Noble Park factory.
Mr Theophanous said the production would have flow-on benefits for Simsmetal, which will supply Mett with <link _top>secondary aluminium, and a range of other Victorian companies involved in tooling and robot installation.
