Century Yuasa Factory in Carole Park Plans Expansion, More Jobs

Century Yuasa, the oldest battery manufacturer in Australia, is planning a major expansion that will not only boost production but also increase job opportunities as demand for cars, boats, and motorbikes batteries ramp up.

After acquiring new machinery for manufacturing battery lead plates, Century Yuasa operations manager Matthieu Anquetil said that demands have been dictated by the COVID trends that saw more commuters ditching public transport to take private cars or to refurbished used cars that need new batteries.

With new machinery in place, estimated to produce 380,000 lead plates per day, the Carole Park factory is also going to have more staff to help with production. The plan is to increase the workforce from 20 to 160 within the year. The move comes after the factory added a night shift line in October 2020, and a second night shift line in February 2021.

Mr Anquetil said that Century Yuasa’s focus on building batteries made for the Australian setting has been rewarding despite stiff competition from cheap imports and foreign battery manufacturers. However, the quality of a battery made for Australians has given the company its edge.

“We design our products to be specially tailored to the Australian market, inclusive of Australian conditions and Australian consumers,” Mr Anquetil said.

“We go from a temperate climate in Melbourne to a more tropical one in Darwin. Usually, that’s a different environment for the battery; and whether it’s for a deep cycle application, marine application, your day-to-day metro run, or long-haul trucks around Australia, all these products require specific attention and a different mix of elements inside the batteries.”  

The Carole Park site produces about 1.2 million car batteries every year, including vehicles for marine and defence use.

Century Yuasa was established in Sydney in 1928. Across the country and New Zealand, the company employs more than 650 individuals who are into sales, distribution, and research or development, aside from manufacturing.