Osborne tells manufacturers to follow Jaguar

MANUFACTURING businesses around the UK need to follow the example of successful firms like Jaguar Land Rover if the country is to recover from recession, according to Chancellor George Osborne.

Speaking during a visit to Land Rover’s Lode Lane plant in Solihull, Mr Osborne said the innovative work JLR had done in improving its product base to appeal to the global market place was exactly the approach others should adopt.

JLR, owned by the Indian conglomerate Tata, also has a Land Rover factory in Halewood, Merseyside, which employs 2,000 staff.

“We have already seen the appeal of the vehicles with the recent announcement by the firm that it is to sell 40,000 of its vehicles in China. This shows that British firms can be successful if they adopt the right approach,” said Mr Osborne.

“The management is to be congratulated for its successful approach to creating wealth and employment opportunities for thousands of people, especially in developing its apprenticeship schemes. I really do get the impression from walking around today that there is a genuine sense of optimism about the future.”

Mr Osborne said one of the reasons why the country was in such economic difficulties was because it had allowed the focus to shift from traditional wealth generating industries such as manufacturing to a reliance on banking and professional services.

“We have been guilty in the past of putting all our economic eggs in one basket and I think this has been to the detriment of manufacturing,” he said.

“We have also been too London-centric and now we have to build up business in areas such as the West Midlands, which is still the manufacturing heartland of Britain.

“We want to have successful business; ones that are creating wealth and exporting their products to new markets. We look to companies in the area’s supply chain to take the lead and show the rest of the country how it’s done by being innovative and investing in research and development.”

JLR chief executive Ralf Speth said: “It is encouraging that the Government recognises the critical role the automotive industry plays in supporting economic growth in the UK. JLR is investing heavily in a future that will see significant growth thanks to expansion of our strongest-ever vehicle line-up, the creation of thousands of new jobs and investment in infrastructure, research and development and advanced technologies.”