Voith secures major facilities management contract for JLR’s new engine plant

A WARWICKSHIRE automotive supplier has secured a major facilities management contract for Jaguar Land Rover’s new £500m Engine Manufacturing Centre near Wolverhampton.

Voith Industrial Services won the contract in a competitive tender. The contract, which will involve about 50 jobs, specifies details for cleaning, waste collection, grounds maintenance, landscaping, and winter services.

It also includes the maintenance of all facility equipment such as boilers, heating and ventilation systems, and water treatment, as well as the disposal of items such as metal scrap and swarf to the factory gate.

Voith, based in Tournament Fields, Warwick, is gradually taking over facilities management responsibilities at the new factory, opened last month by The Queen, with full services due to come on stream next year.

Phil Spencer, sales and business development director, Voith said: “We are proud to be Jaguar Land Rover’s facilities management partner in this fantastic investment in their new Engine Manufacturing Centre.

“This new contract with Jaguar Land Rover underlines Voith’s credentials in the UK automotive sector where recent contracts have been announced at Vauxhall Motors in Luton and Peugeot Citroen Automobiles in Coventry.”

Voith has progressed from a company providing basic cleaning services to one that now provides specialist technical expertise in many areas.

At Vauxhall, the firm started with a cleaning contract over a decade ago, later moving on to small sub-assembly work and then to assembling safety critical modules including axles, struts, front corners and sub-frames.

Its latest work with Vauxhall sees it operating in more advanced technical areas. It has helped design and develop part of the engine assembly line for the new Vivaro van and also operates it on behalf of Vauxhall.

Globally, Voith supplies technical cleaning services in paint shops at 80 car plants worldwide.

In the UK, the business employs 2,400 people – mainly at customer sites across the country. The company has an increasing sales turnover and provides services in four main areas – facility management, technical cleaning, wheel and tyre assembly, and managed processes.