Playford’s roaring industry

LIONSGATE TEAM

Peter Bria, Paschal Somers, and Norm Wells pictured on site at Lionsgate Business Park.

Meet Paschal Somers, General Manager Operations at Lionsgate Business Park and Pelligra South Australia. Across a number of careers, Paschal has had a connection with the former General Motors Holden Elizabeth plant site, now known as Lionsgate Business Park.

Shortly after migrating from Ireland to Adelaide in April 1994, Paschal was employed with Holden as a Press Operator. “I came to Australia for the opportunities, and as a Mechanical Engineer I chose to settle in Adelaide due to the booming car manufacturing industry at the time,” said Paschal.

Paschal worked his way up from the workshop floor, gaining a wealth of experience across all areas of the business before undertaking sponsored training to complete his Masters in Engineering. He also worked in America for four months at General Motors Technical Centre in Detroit. It was in his final role with Holden as Central Engineering and Facility Manager when Paschal first met Ross Pelligra, Chairman of Pelligra Group, who would later become his boss at Lionsgate.

Today, Lionsgate is home to a range of manufacturers, and on any given workday approximately 750 people are on site - with this number anticipated to grow to 1,500 in the next three years. Paschal’s role is to support this growth.

“Manufacturers are drawn to Lionsgate because of its capabilities, which is a legacy of the Holden site,” he said. “We have a 122 hectare site, with engineered warehouses that provide tenants a wide range of manufacturing opportunities.”

Pelligra have made a significant investment in Playford by purchasing Lionsgate and four additional incubator sites in the region. They see the industrial capabilities and strengths of the area. “I think we are uniquely positioned at Lionsgate, and our surrounding incubator sites take advantage of the work coming in from the naval shipbuilding industry at Osborne thanks to our close proximity to the Northern Expressway,” said Paschal.

Currently Lionsgate is occupied by 12 tenants, including component manufacturer, Levett Engineering, home energy manufacturer, Sonnen, and fabrication specialist, Genis Steel.

After working at the site for 27 years, Lionsgate is like a second home to Paschal. “This site is special to me because of all the fond memories I have of working here, the people, processes and products.”

For Paschal the future of industry looks bright for Lionsgate Business Park and Playford. “If we do this right and capitalise on our existing manufacturing capabilities, both people and infrastructure, Playford’s manufacturing industry is set for the next 20-30 years.”