Navistar Australia busy preparing for 2016 International launch

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Prime Mover Magazine / July 16, 2015

In preparation for the commercial launch of the International ProStar in early 2016, Navistar Auspac said the new model is currently undergoing a “detailed component analysis” to ensure a smooth roll-out.

In a media statement released yesterday, the company said the launch at the Brisbane Truck Show was but one of many steps in the process of rebuilding International’s presence.

“From here on a major focus is confirming ProStar’s engineering credentials for this market before it goes on sale early next year,” said says Glen Sharman, Director of Sales, Marketing and Business Development at Navistar’s Australia/Pacific division, Navistar Auspac.

“This is certainly no quick ‘tick the box’ exercise,” said Navistar Auspac Chief Engineer Adrian Wright (pictured). “Between now and ProStar’s commercial availability next year, every component and assembly will be assessed, evaluated and ultimately validated for Australian conditions.”

He added, “At the same time we’ll be verifying the aerodynamics and fuel efficiency which are such big assets for ProStar in the US. So while dealership and service structures continue to be negotiated and developed, engineering appraisal and on-road testing of ProStar is now running at full throttle.”

While Australia may be a relatively low volume market in the global context, Navistar engineering executives are well aware of this market’s highly competitive and often demanding character. Consequently, Navistar engineering teams have adopted a ‘high volume’ approach which effectively works to avoid small problems becoming big issues on high volume production lines, said Wright.

“For a major manufacturer like Navistar, a small issue can have dramatic flow-on effects for the company and worse, its customers,” explains Adrian Wright. “This exercise is all about avoiding those issues.”

Wrigth said there were “hundreds of components” under evaluation still, with well over 2200 parts and assemblies making up the bulk of the right-hand-drive ProStar’s ‘bill of materials’.