Foton Mobility Distribution’s new electric bus manufacturing and assembly facility in South Nowra has reached its full structural height, bringing a planned production capacity of up to 400 electric buses a year a step closer.
The 6,000-square-metre facility on Oxford Street will become the company’s flagship manufacturing and assembly operation. Construction began in April, with work now continuing towards completion of the first phase.
For bus fleet operators, the project signals an expansion of local manufacturing capacity as NSW progresses its transition to zero-emission public transport. Foton Mobility Distribution has been selected to supply 126 battery-electric buses under the NSW Government’s Zero Emission Bus Program.
Building local manufacturing capacity
Foton Mobility Distribution CEO Neil Wang said the construction milestone made the scale of the investment increasingly visible.
“When we broke ground earlier this year, we spoke about what we wanted to build here. Now, you can stand on the site and see the scale of what is taking shape,” Mr Wang said.
Once the first phase is complete, the operation is expected to employ nearly 130 people. The company aims to recruit its entire workforce from the Nowra region.
“Reaching full height is another important step towards having buses move through this facility and creating the local jobs and skills we committed to when this project began,” Mr Wang said.
The planned capacity of up to 400 electric buses annually applies when the facility reaches full production. The announcement did not specify an opening date or a timetable for reaching that output.
Jobs and skills on the South Coast
Alongside vehicle production, the development is intended to establish a workforce capable of supporting the company’s longer-term manufacturing ambitions.
“This is about establishing a long-term manufacturing capability in Nowra. We want to grow our workforce here, increase the amount of work we undertake locally and create opportunities for people on the South Coast to build careers in a growing industry,” Mr Wang said.
He said the next stage would turn the building investment into practical employment and training opportunities.
“What matters now is what happens inside it, local people learning new skills, building buses and contributing to the next generation of Australian transport.”
Supporting the electric fleet transition
Foton Mobility Distribution is a wholly Australian-owned supplier of zero-emission commercial vehicles, including battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell buses and trucks.
The company says its battery-electric light-duty trucks have accumulated more than five million kilometres with major fleet customers and local councils across Australia.
The Nowra development adds a manufacturing dimension to that commercial vehicle business. For fleet managers planning electric bus deployments, progress towards an operational facility will be a key milestone to watch as vehicle supply, depot charging and workforce readiness are brought together.
“We still have work ahead of us, but topping out the building is a milestone worth recognising,” Mr Wang said.
