Car-parts racket costs GMH $2.5m

[KIWI-1]

Organised crime investigation branch officer-in-charge Detective Superintendent Peter Harvey confirmed the operation, code-named Echidna, was "well under way".
While he would not comment on specifics, it is understood the investigation began after Elizabeth CIB detectives uncovered a V8 engine, later found to be stolen from the Elizabeth plant, during an unrelated inquiry.


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/business/comp...#ixzz1zQy8go86

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by KIWI-1

Organised crime investigation branch officer-in-charge Detective Superintendent Peter Harvey confirmed the operation, code-named Echidna, was "well under way".
While he would not comment on specifics, it is understood the investigation began after Elizabeth CIB detectives uncovered a V8 engine, later found to be stolen from the Elizabeth plant, during an unrelated inquiry.


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/business/comp...#ixzz1zQy8go86

The investigation has been going on for six months, surely they would have more concrete evidence
and arrests by now if it was an inside job of the magnitude suggested.

Let's analyze this,
GM orders engines with unique numbers, that are logged in so any theft would occur before arrival.
It might be that transport of goods may not be as secure as thought but you'd expect that engine
numbers would be on several tracking schedules..

[prydey]

is it possible the engine wasn't actually scheduled for fitment? maybe it was a warranty job. i'm assuming there would have been a couple of engines replaced under warranty? most makers have the odd one. what happens to the old one??

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by jpd80

The investigation has been going on for six months, surely they would have more concrete evidence
and arrests by now if it was an inside job of the magnitude suggested.

Let's analyze this,
GM orders engines with unique numbers, that are logged in so any theft would occur before arrival.
It might be that transport of goods may not be as secure as thought but you'd expect that engine
numbers would be on several tracking schedules..

Aren't the engines stamped in the plant with the car?

[XWGT]

GMH wouldnt have $2.5 million in engines in Australia would they? :-)

[FairlaineG1978]

its a joke

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Aren't the engines stamped in the plant with the car?

They have numbering system to track the engines built in USA for shipment to Elizabeth before being assigned to a VIN.
That's why I'm thinking any funny stuff might have occurred before reaching the plant.

[Bossxr8]

Stuff getting stolen on Fords end too, apparently a number of GT's were stolen out of one of the holding yards.

[Falcman0o7]

Originally Posted by stevz

DOHC has been around for just as long, if not longer, so what's your point?

Oh that's right, it's school holidays again....

Whats school holidays got to do with it?

[outside]

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

I like how they call the V8 high tech...

chev sticker ?

[jpd80]

Additional info from someone familiar with Holden processes:

Originally Posted by BBDOS CV8 on gminsidenews

The engines don't go near Fishemans Bend. It's 100% a V6 build facility. The trans and engines go straight in
stock at Elizabeth via Port Adelaide. I've seen the line work - every workstation, a picker turns up just
before the assembly - barcodes the bits in as they go on the car. It's all computer linked.

The engines are run at GM Powertrain on natural gas on a test rig so they come filled with oil from America.
They are bolted straight in the car. And the engine dressing line is next to the driveline insertion lifts.
They have to check and crosscheck - there's at four V6 and three V8s assemblies - L98 non AFM 6.0,
L76 AFM 6.0 for autos and LS3, and you wouldn't want a 6.0 AFM going in a manual HSV - although
I think the flexplate comes bolted to the flywheel for autos. The engines come out of the crate
minus the fuel rail covers and all Gen IVs looks the same with cast headers - the HSV headers
are fitted at Clayton, but with everything else. Same with the trans - HSV gets a different-ratio
Tremec to the standard Holden, IIRC.

At the height of the pistonslap LS1 problem at Holden, I saw a figure of 4% warranty fix rate.
Assuming a 1% fail rate today which is probably overstating it, @ 40% V8 production that's about
20,000 engines a year across Commodore, HSV, and Utes - 200 engines. Plus whatever gearboxes
won't engage or whine/crap themselves on the test loop, and I imagine these engines/trans are
returned to the factory, 1-in, 1-out from dealers for shipping back to GM Powertrain.

It's my bet it's these where handling of warranty pulls might not be so meticulous.

[SEZ213]

Right - so if the maths works on this, at $10k a pop for an engine, and $2.5mil worth of engines and transmissions 'stolen'...equates to give or take 250 engines (if you were just talking engines alone)...whilst one in the inventory/warehouse would be undertaking a stocktake fairly regularly (at least given the product that they stock), this would have come to light, oooer, about a month after they started going missing. The 'supervisor' would have also seen the discrepancy as stocktakes 'should' be signed off on by a supervisor. How one can somehow 'lose' +/-250 engines and only become aware of it when the police notify them...is beyond me.

I guess it's easy to become complacent when the Australian Public are footing the bill...

[prydey]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Additional info from someone familiar with Holden processes:

see my post #63. lucky guess

Originally Posted by Sezzy

and $2.5mil worth of engines and transmissions 'stolen'.

it doesn't say the $2.5 mill was just engines and 'boxes. they were just part of it.

Car parts totalling $2.5 million, including hundreds of V8 motors and transmissions, have been stolen from the GMH plant at Elizabeth in South Australia.