Cameron hails Jaguar Land Rover for commitment to UK manufacturing
THE Prime Minister has hailed Jaguar Land Rover for leading the vanguard of the UK’s manufacturing renaissance.
David Cameron said his spirits soared when he saw what firms like JLR were doing and what that meant for the future of the vital manufacturing sector.
He made his comments during a visit to JLR’s new £0.5bn engine plant at the i54 business park, outside Wolverhampton. A plant which when fully operational next year, will see a new engine roll off production lines every 36 seconds.
He said: “Whenever I come to one of your plants my spirits soar when I see such an exciting future for British manufacturing. What you see here today is the coming together of all your supporters – we all want to congratulate JLR for the investment it is making here.”
He said the figures associated with the new plant, which covers an area the size of 14 football pitches, were impressive, although they alone did not tell the whole story.
“You’re going to have 1,500 people working in the plant we are standing in; that’s going to mean another 3,500 in the supply chain. You’re going to be producing an engine every 36 seconds, which is staggering,” he added.
The company has plans to see even that level increase as it ramps up the production of its new small BMW 3-Series rival, also from next year.
However, Mr Cameron was keen to stress the wider picture.
“The figures only tell part of the story because what you are doing epitomises what needs to happen to the British economy,” he said.
“In the past there has been too much focus on the south, too much on the services and not enough on manufacturing. Everything you are doing here is what we want to see.
“You are putting people back into work in what was the manufacturing workshop of the world.”
He said the plant should also stand as an example to those firms looking to develop their overseas trade levels.
In terms of export, 85% of what will eventually be produced at the plant will be sent abroad.
Mr Cameron said he had seen for himself what the firm was trying to achieve during his visit to China last year and he said he would continue to promote the business and its products wherever he happened to be.
He praised the firm for continuing to make innovative products and for training up the next generation of the UK’s skilled engineers.
“You have the support of a Government and a Prime Minister that’s right behind you,” he added.
“Where we can support with Regional Growth Fund money and Enterprise Zones; where we can support the automotive industry more broadly; where we can help with exports, then we will.”
He also urged the firm to get out and into the schools of the West Midlands and inspire people and show them that Britain has an “amazing hi-tech manufacturing future led by firms like you”.
