Solihulli tehas kinni?

[landy]

LOSING LODE LANE?
You heard it here first, but now it’s offi cial – Solihull is under threat. Jaguar Land Rover will close one of its West Midlands plants within the next decade. The decision as to whether it’s to be Solihull or the Jaguar plant at Castle Bromwich will be made by the company’s management by the middle of next year. There are going to be a lot of surprised people if it’s not Solihull that’s going to go.
You don’t have to be a business expert to realise that Solihull has a lot more to off er a property developer than Castle Bromwich. And, as we’ve also said before, Solihull’s councillors are going to be really pleased to see lots of houses and a shopping mall or two in their posh town rather than a smelly factory.
It’s a sensible decision by Jaguar Land Rover. With modern manufacturing techniques, a fi xed asset like a factory can be ‘sweated’ to get the most out of it and Halewood has shown itself to be capable of consistently producing high quality vehicles at high volumes. So much so that there doesn’t seem to have been much argument that the new Range Rover LRX should be built there. It’s also close to a port for the effi cient export of vehicles to Land Rover’s crucial overseas markets. As Tony Gilroy realised in the 1980s, factory rationalisation off ers massive reductions in overheads. The money saved can be invested in new products that secure the future of the company.
So Land Rover’s 75th anniversary is unlikely to be celebrated at its Solihull birthplace, but no doubt some of the vehicles we’ve been looking at for this month’s restoration special will still be around. Our in-depth look at the restoration scene has been a dramatic insight to just what is out there to support the Land Rover enthusiast with his or her project. One thing is very clear though – restoring a vehicle is a long and expensive process. But you need something more than money and time. It’s the determination and enthusiasm to see the project through. And, if you’ve got that, then the investment will pay off in the pride you’ll feel as heads turn to look at the results of your eff orts. Above all, it’s a tribute to everyone who has kept Land Rover going for more than six decades..

Editor
Mike Gould

allikas: http://www.landroverworld.co.uk/