General Motors signs up to Manufacturing Technology Centre

ONE of the world’s largest car manufacturers has become the latest business to join Coventry’s pioneering Manufacturing Technology Centre.

General Motors, which will be one of the MTC’s prestigious Tier Two members, produces vehicles in 30 countries and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets.

GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands.

The Detroit-based company has been welcomed to the MTC by chief executive Dr Clive Hickman. He said the MTC was proud to be selected by General Motors as a centre of automotive technology excellence.

MTC engineers and technicians will work with General Motors on manufacturing process innovation and the commercialisation necessary for new products and materials.

“It is a great honour that General Motors has chosen to join the Manufacturing Technology Centre and it is a ringing endorsement of our capabilities. We look forward to helping them take their business forward,” said Hickman.

The MTC opened in 2011 and has already achieved most of its 2020 targets. It is a partnership between some of the UK’s major global manufacturers and three forward-thinking universities: Birmingham, Nottingham and Loughborough as well as TWI Ltd, the operating division of The Welding Institute.

It is structured to deliver a unique proposition linking OEMs and manufacturing suppliers to bridge the gap between research and the development of innovative manufacturing systems, in line with the Government’s manufacturing strategy.

The MTC is one of seven centres across the UK which form the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, established by Government to provide a stimulus for British manufacturing.