The new property at Lidcombe in the city’s inner west has offices, training and warehouse facilities to meet Ateco’s supply of products, parts and services to more than 100 dealers across Australia and New Zealand.

Lidcombe is also more centrally located in Sydney than its previous site at Waterloo.

Ateco Group executive chairman Neville Crichton said the move was spurred by the rapid growth of LDV in Australia in particular, but also the development of Maserati and Ram.

“The new facility enables the Ateco Group to provide support services for sales and training at a level that will match the growth in sales, meet the demands of a changing marketplace and provide our staff with a modern, well-designed facility within which to work,” he said.

Ateco Homebush

The training area is more than three times the size of Waterloo and includes classrooms and dedicated technical training areas with vehicle hoists, tools and equipment.

Mr Crichton said Ateco Group provides up to 40 hours of training for each technician for the launch of each new model into the Australian market, as well as sales and marketing training.

He said that the growth in dealer numbers, sales and new models needed an entirely new training centre and, to support the national fleet market, LDV alone had to have a national fleet market team and its own fleet of demonstrator vehicles.

The building has been fitted with the latest information technology and support facilities for its staff. The new IT system is designed to run Ateco’s business and also have seamless digital communication with the networks of companies with which it works in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America.

“The multi-million-dollar move to Lidcombe represents the largest investments Ateco has made in facilities over the past 35 years,” Mr Crichton said.

“But this level of investment is essential to ensure that we provide a benchmark quality of service to our dealers, to the brands we represent and to our customers.

“It is a clear and unequivocal sign of the Ateco Group’s commitment to the automotive industry in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.”

The Ateco Group oversees the distribution of Maserati in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa; LDV in Australia; Ram trucks in Australia and New Zealand; and is the distributor for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) in New Zealand.

The new Lidcombe building is owned by Ateco Group’s property division but about one-third is leased to another company which remains as a tenant.

Ateco Properties also built and owned the previous building in Waterloo’s Green Square business district that cost $30 million. This property was sold to McCarrolls, which just prior had bought the Ferrari Maserati Business (FMB) from Ateco.

Before Waterloo, Ateco was based in the redeveloped site at Homebush with occupancy of the original historic building at the front of the property.

Before Homebush, Ateco was at Tempe, in the buildings built for the Penfolds wine company. This building was sold to become an Ikea store.

Ateco Properties also owns a substantial office and warehouse facility in Mt Wellington for Fiat Chrysler New Zealand.

By Neil Dowling

Ateco Lidcombe