Jaguar moves into Solihull, with all the ceremony it feels it deserves, don't forget Rover was there too.

• Jaguar Land Rover officially opens its ‘factory within a factory’ as Solihull plant commences production of the new Jaguar XE.
• 55 UK based suppliers awarded £4bn in contracts to support the introduction of the all-new Jaguar model.
• Historic moment for the company as the first Jaguar model rolls off the line at the home of Land Rover.
• New Jaguar XE built in 165,000m² state-of-the-art facilities, including Europe’s largest aluminium body shop.
• Ongoing development means the Solihull plant now represents one of the largest manufacturing growth stories in the UK for a generation – almost trebling production and doubling its workforce in five years.
• Inauguration event celebrates the rich heritage of two of the world’s most iconic automotive marques.

Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull Manufacturing Plant today marked another significant milestone in its 70 year history as it welcomed the Jaguar brand to the site for the first time. The West Midlands based plant marked the beginning of production of the all-new Jaguar XE with the official opening of its state-of-the-art £500m ‘factory within a factory’.

The Jaguar XE, which represents the culmination of more than £2bn of product, infrastructure and technology investment, has been heralded as vitally important for the British automotive supply chain thanks to an additional £4bn worth of contracts committed to 55 UK based tier one suppliers. 

Together these suppliers, which cover the length and breadth of the country, have provided 55% of the components to this all-new model in the Jaguar line-up.

Jaguar Land Rover Purchasing Director, Ian Harnett, said of the impact of Jaguar’s latest model: 

“Jaguar Land Rover is one of the UK’s success stories, not simply because it has seen an upsurge in demand thanks to sustained investment, but because it has been able to support a burgeoning, high-tech, highly skilled supply base here in the UK. With each successive new or upgraded model, we are seeing the positive impact felt amongst the entire automotive sector which is great news for everyone committed to ensuring the UK remains truly competitive on a global stage.”

Amongst those suppliers who have felt the positive impact of Jaguar Land Rover’s continued investment in product creation is Rosti McKechnie, a Yorkshire based plastics specialist awarded a £75m contract for the Jaguar XE. The company has taken advantage of the opportunity presented by the growing UK automotive industry, installing a host of new robotic machinery following an investment of £18 million from its new Swedish owners. 

Their work force has doubled and is set to grow further in support of this contract award. In the Midlands, Rugby based Automotive Insulations, a company which manufactures thermal and acoustic insulation has invested in a new 65,000 sq. ft. premises to accommodate its expanding workforce in preparation to supply the Jaguar XE. 

Birmingham based Sertec Group has invested £15 million in new presses, robotics and site upgrades, primarily at their Tyseley plant. This in turn has led to the creation of 107 new jobs to work on this vehicle alone.

The arrival of the XE at the Solihull manufacturing plant is significant for both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Renowned for producing some of the world’s most iconic saloon cars in history, the advent of XE production at Solihull marks a key milestone for Jaguar, in this, its 80^th year. 

For Land Rover, welcoming the Jaguar brand to its home is the latest in a string of significant developments which have seen the site undergo a spectacular transformation in just five years. In this short time, Solihull production has almost trebled and the workforce has doubled.

The opening of its new body shop and trim and final facilities – which represent the largest single investment in the Solihull plant in its 70 year history, was commemorated today by employees who took part in a celebration of the company’s rich and world-renowned motoring brands. 

Solihull Operations Director, Alan Volkaerts, was joined by legendary British motor racing driver Sir Stirling Moss OBE, Jaguar’s highly-regarded test driver, Norman Dewis OBE, who developed no less than 25 significant Jaguar cars and Land Rover aficionado Quentin Willson.

Speaking at the official opening, Alan Volkaerts said: “This really is an incredibly special day for Jaguar Land Rover and the team here at Solihull, many of whom have witnessed the plant change beyond all recognition in recent time. 

The arrival of the new Jaguar XE marks a new chapter in the history of this plant and showcases the flexibility of our manufacturing operation thanks to a strategic investment in aluminium technologies and infrastructure.

“I speak on behalf of the whole team when I say what an incredible privilege it is to be producing not one, but two of the world’s best loved motoring brands.”

The start of XE production at the Solihull plant is the first step in making the site a dual-branded manufacturing operation. Earlier this year, the company confirmed its breakthrough Jaguar performance crossover, the F-PACE is to be built at the site. 

Capitalising on its £1.5bn investment in a technically-advanced aluminium vehicle architecture, Jaguar Land Rover continues to push for increased competitiveness, flexibility and efficiency to deliver more new and engaging products to customers around the world.

• Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull Advanced Manufacturing Plant builds: Defender, Discovery, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Jaguar XE.
• Sales of products built at Solihull in 2014 were as follows:

Defender	17,781
Discovery	45,080
Range Rover Sport	82,440
Range Rover	53,738

• The plant operates 3 shift 24 hour production
• The plant has a 9,000 strong workforce

Supplier Profiles:

Rosti McKechnie Ltd. Yorkshire

Rosti McKechnie Ltd is a recently formed subsidiary of the large Swedish automotive group, Rosti. It was created in 2012 when Rosti acquired McKechnie Engineering Plastics, who were based in Pickering. This newly formed company has been awarded a £75m contract for the production of Jaguar XE components.

Rosti has taken advantage of the opportunity in the growth in the UK automotive industry and has installed a host of new robotic machinery following an investment of £18m from its Swedish owners. The investment in the Pickering facility has increased Rosti’s manufacturing capabilities and the facility now boasts some of the most advanced injection moulding machinery in the UK and a brand new paint plant. 

Since being taken over, the company's turnover has increased from £90million to £135 million, staff numbers have grown from 270 to 500, and with a further £12 million to be invested by 2016, 250 more jobs are set to be created, including 100 in direct support of the Jaguar contract.

Automotive Insulations Ltd, Rugby.

Automotive Insulations Ltd. is a specialist insulation manufacturer based in Rugby, the company has been awarded a £10m contract for the production of Jaguar XE components. The company manufactures thermal and acoustic insulation for vehicles, and had to invest in a new 65,000 sq. ft. premises in 2014 to accommodate its expanding workforce in preparation to supply the Jaguar XE.  The company now employs over 200 people at the new headquarters, up from just 69 in 2013.

The Sertec Group, Birmingham

The Sertec Group are experts in a range of steel and aluminium manipulation and assembly processes. The company has a long standing relationship with Jaguar Land Rover and has been commissioned to supply a total of 202 new parts for the Jaguar XE.

To support the introduction of the XE, Sertec has invested £15 million in new presses, robotics and site upgrades, primarily at their Tyseley plant. 

This has created 107 new jobs to work on this vehicle alone, with 400 new workers employed on this site thanks to the wider Jaguar Land Rover business. Turnover for this plant has increased from £17 million to £70 million in just 4 years.