Ballarat's FMP Group has made its last asbestos brake pad after almost half-a-century of production.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The manufacturer, formerly known as Bendix, achieved the goal on Friday, well before the State Government's deadline to rid the automotive parts industry of the substance by the end of this year.
It signals the end of a significant phase of redevelopment at FMP's Delacombe operation. And it follows hot on the heels of concerns about negotiations to sell Honeywell's 51 per cent share of the business.
FMP human resources manager Mike Sullivan said phasing out asbestos had been an enormous challenge for the company, but one which the company had overcome.
Mr Sullivan said FMP now only produced the non-asbestos brake pad replacement. He said the company had also re-engineered itself in marketing terms to remain at the forefront of the industry.
The uptake of the new products in the marketplace had already proved positive for the company, he said.
With almost 700 employees, FMP is the largest private employer in Ballarat.
Project management manager Steve Kennedy said FMP had conducted almost all performance testing and development for the new brake pads at its Ballarat factory.
About $11 million had been spent on capital equipment since the start of last year to complete the asbestos phase out - bringing the entire project cost to $30 million.
Asbestos has been found to be a significant contributor to health problems for people working and using the product.
While FMP has embarked on a brave new world of manufacturing, the company has hit back at claims from a union and law firm that employees entitlements may be at risk because of the sale of Honeywell's 51 per cent share to another US company, Federal Mogul.
Last month asbestos litigator Andrew Dimsey said 100 Ballarat people had inquired about the impact the Honeywell sale process could have on asbestos-related compensation claims in future years.
In a statement published in The Courier today on page nine, FMP has strongly dismissed the concerns.
Chief executive Tony Stone said any sale of a shareholding in FMP would not affect the right of employees or anyone else to sue the company.
Mr Stone said the company had a clear record on asbestos-related claims.
"The facts are that in the 48-year history of Bendix operation in Ballarat there has never been a Workcover-approved asbestos-related claim from any of the thousands of employees who have worked for our firm," Mr Stone said.
Last month the Australian Manufacturing and Workers' Union state secretary Dave Oliver said the union wanted a guarantee from FMP that worker entitlements would not be jeopardised by the sale. The AMWU said it also wanted a commitment from the company that it would meet future asbestos related claims brought forward by both staff and people who had handled its products.