Bentley expansion hailed as important boost for Midlands component industry

THE decision by luxury car manufacturer Bentley to create 1,000 new jobs as part of a product programme has been welcomed as a major boost to the West Midlands’ automotive component industry.

Bentley Motors is set to create the new jobs in support of the launch of a new 4×4 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), which will be built at the company’s factory in Crewe and go on sale in 2016.

The manufacturer, which has around 4,000 employees at the Cheshire plant, says it will invest around £800m in the new model over the next three years.

The blueprint for the SUV was unveiled in China 18 months ago and a concept version was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Bentley said the response to the concept model was so positive that it had inspired the German-owned group to make the investment.

Rachel Eade, Supply Chain Specialist at the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), said: “Bentley’s decision to base production of its new SUV at Crewe further highlights the attractiveness of the UK as a great place to invest in and build cars. The news will also be widely welcomed by the supply chain, with between 70 and 80 component manufacturers from the West Midlands already supplying into the luxury marque.

“There will no doubt be opportunities for these firms to be involved in the new model and, importantly, getting ‘in’ with Bentley also offers a much wider opportunity to supply into other parts of the Volkswagen group.

“Our role at MAS is to work with SMEs to identify these opportunities and ensure they have the right processes and strategies in place to be competitive on a truly global scale.”

Prime Minister David Cameron, who joined Volkswagen Group chairman Dr Martin Winterkorn for the launch announcement, said: “This £800m investment and a thousand new jobs from Bentley is fantastic news for both Crewe and for the UK as a whole. It is another important milestone in strengthening our economy.

“One sector that we know is sprinting ahead in the global race is our booming automotive industry. One vehicle rolls off a production line somewhere in the UK every 20 seconds and we have just launched the Government’s Automotive Industrial Strategy to help continue this success for years to come.

“I am delighted that Bentley will be building their new vehicle here, not only creating 1,000 jobs, but safeguarding many more, as well as increasing training opportunities for highly skilled apprentices.”