Jaguar Land Rover begins construction on £186m Brazil plant
VEHICLE manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has officially started construction of its £186m (R$750m) production facility in Brazil – almost a year to the day it announced the project.
The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in the state of Rio de Janeiro will also feature the company’s first overseas Education Business Partnership Centre – a key development in its drive to improve the skills levels of workers in the country.
Dr Ralf Speth, JLR’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our new facility in Brazil is an important strand of Jaguar Land Rover’s long term sustainability. The start of construction today is a significant milestone and represents another step forward in our plans to create a truly global manufacturing footprint.
“The confirmation of Jaguar Land Rover’s first overseas Education Business Partnership Centre demonstrates our commitment to developing the skills needed by tomorrow’s workforce to create a sustainable premium automotive manufacturing industry in Brazil.”
Building on the success of the company’s education programme in the UK, the new education centre will provide a range of classroom activities to help local schoolchildren develop key skills, work awareness and inspire them to pursue careers with JLR in the future.
JLR is the first British automotive company to invest in a manufacturing factory in Brazil. In the programme’s first phase, the new 60,000m² manufacturing facility in Itatiaia will employ 400 people and will have an annual capacity of around 24,000 vehicles.
As part of its on-going commitment to the Brazilian automotive industry, JLR will be sourcing a range of components from local suppliers as well as importing some parts from its global supply chain. In addition, the company is investing in its technical assistance services to help suppliers support increased levels of localisation in the future.
The new Discovery Sport has been confirmed as the first vehicle to be built at the plant, with the first customer cars expected to drive off the production line in 2016. Since its reveal at the Sao Paulo Motor Show, JLR said the Discovery Sport had received a very positive reaction from Brazilian customers.
“This new manufacturing facility will play an important role in providing vehicles that our customers in Brazil can love for life,” added Dr Speth.
JLR’s first significant recruitment campaign is underway, in association with Itatiaia Town Hall. The company is looking for automotive mechanics, manufacturing operatives and the quality team to join its manufacturing team.
Jaguar Land Rover has had a presence in the Brazilian market for more than 20 years. Land Rover has held almost 50% of the premium SUV market for three consecutive years and Jaguar is one of the country’s fastest growing premium brands with sales increasing almost four-fold in 2013.
Jaguar Land Rover is investing in its dealer network in Brazil and, by the end of March 2015, it will have 42 dealers covering all of the main territories.
Brazil is one of Jaguar Land Rover’s top ten markets and the Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Sport and Land Rover Discovery are the strongest selling vehicles in the country.
The start of work on the factory comes less than month since the opening of JLR’s new joint venture operation in China and the official opening of its new £500m engine plant at the i54 site, near Wolverhampton.
