Jaguar Land Rover inject £450m into engine centre

British car manufacturing giant Jaguar Land Rover has announced plans to double the size of it’s Wolverhampton-based Engine Manufacturing Centre (EMC), as part of an ambitious £450m expansion project that should create hundreds of new jobs.

Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) EMC has produced more than 50,000 low-emission Ingenium engines, used in the Discovery Sport and Jaguar XE, since it opened in October 2014. An astounding £1 billion of investment has already been poured into the plant, and this latest influx will boost the operational footprint to 200,000 square metres, in line with JLR’s ‘product offensive.’

Developing the skills and capability that Britain needs

Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover CEO said:

The Engine Manufacturing Centre is a strategically significant facility for Jaguar Land Rover. The decision to expand our operations at the site provides a clear signal of our commitment to meeting customer demand for cleaner and more efficient engines, whilst developing the skills and capability that Britain needs if it is to remain globally competitive.

This latest announcement should create several hundred new jobs at the Centre, contributing towards the manufacturer’s global workforce reaching 40,000 by 2016. The EMC’s workforce alone has risen to 700 workers over the last year of operation, with ongoing recruitment set to swell those numbers further.

Increased volumes and new opportunities

Rachel Eade, automotive lead for the Business Growth Service, said: “This £450m investment reinforces the car maker’s commitment to the UK and underlines how the i54 engine plant is already playing a crucial role in the company’s ambitious plans to double its production output and achieve lower emission engines.

“As well as the hundreds of jobs set to be created at the plant, there will no doubt be additional spin-offs in the supply chain and we expect our SMEs to be in an ideal position to take advantage of increased volumes and new opportunities.

Our role is to make sure we work with the component manufacturers to ensure they have the capacity and the skills required to meet the demands of JLR, other car makers and tier 1s. According to industry sources we could well be on course to match the 1970s peak of two million cars by the end of the decade

According JLR, this new round of investment cements the EMC’s place at the vanguard of the company’s manufacturing operations. The centre will play a critical role in supporting all three of its vehicle plants with engines that also power the Jaguar XF, Range Rover Evoque and Jaguar F-PACE.

About Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest automotive manufacturing business, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all-terrain vehicles and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports saloon and sports car marques.

Under the ownership of Tata Motors Limited, Jaguar Land Rover is transforming its business to realise the full potential of its brands and deliver profitable results. Driving the business is a world-class team of 32,000 people globally. In addition, they support more than 210,000 UK jobs through the supply chain, dealer network and wider economy.

All of JLR’s cars are engineered and designed in Britain and, while they have ambitious plans for global growth, the heart of the business remains in the UK. They have invested billions of pounds in state-of-the-art production, research and development facilities. In fact, JLR is the biggest UK investor in R&D in the manufacturing sector – ahead of British Aerospace and Rolls-Royce – and in the global top 100 for R&D spend.