FEATURE
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New Paccar Australia Managing Director Damian Smethurst brings 25 years of experience with the company to the top job.
By Ian Parkes
It’s a big job...
...and Damian Smethurst has got to do it
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THE NEW MAN AT THE TOP OF PACCAR AUSTRALIA, WHICH manufactures Kenworth and DAF trucks, has a clear view of where the company is going under his leadership. It’s a direction the new managing director, Damian Smethurst, has formed during 25 years with the company in a variety of roles. Speaking in the offices of New Zealand agent Southpac Trucks on his first visit as MD, Smethurst says upfront he will continue ramping up the investment in new plant and equipment to improve productivity, output and market share. After all, it’s a direction he’s helped shape in his previous senior roles. Before his elevation to the top job he was general manager Paccar Parts for five years. Before that he was chief engineer and director of operations for Australia. Holding the line means Paccar Australia continues its commitment to local manufacture. For 52 years it has been building Kenworth trucks in Australia, specifically so that it can configure them to `down under’ conditions. It built its 70,000th Kenworth last year and recently built its 1000th DAF truck after beginning Australian production in 2018.
“Our strategic advantage has always been our local engineering and manufacturing capability,” says Smethurst. “It’s low volume compared to other international markets but [we are building] what our markets need and we see New Zealand as a key market for that as well, not just Australia.” One of the traditional bonuses of buying a Kenworth had been the practice of inviting new owners to tour the factory to see their truck, or another just like it, being built, sometimes picking it up at the same time. Some owners who had toured the factory before would pass the privilege on to the new truck’s driver. Despite having a lengthy ‘to do’ list already, Smethurst says the company is getting factory tours going again after Covid had called a halt. He’s well aware of the loyalty that seeing trucks being built on home turf inspires in people. Demand, though, isn’t the big issue at the moment; Paccar’s challenge is satisfying demand, which shot up during Covid in response to government stimulus initiatives such as instant asset write-offs. “When I first started, we were building six trucks a day, 25 years Truck & Driver | 77
