Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) says it is working to return some component making to the UK as the Tata-owned company continues its highly impressive growth rate.
The need to localise supplier manufacturing in the UK is being heard more frequently as the country emerges from one of the deepest recessions in living memory and JLR is looking at ways to improve it.
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“We have done some input on what we think is missing – we are trying to get input from all the OEMS not just JLR,” JLR director purchasing, Ian Harnett, told just-auto on the sidelines of yesterday’s (16 October) FKG annual suppliers Forum in Gothenburg.
“We think in lots of commodities, whether it be castings and other things that have left the country, can we develop a business case to bring [them] back to the country?”
The purchasing director revealed JLR had worked with Gestamp to bring two press lines and hot stamping work from North America to South Wales, as well as collaborating with Plastic Omnium for tailgate production to the UK.
“Part of the problem is we have to do it in isolation,” said Harnett. “I can’t go around the other OEMs because we have all different challenges to make.”
Harnett maintained JLR had a “much better balanced” portfolio of business around the world allowing the OEM to “play tunes and have choices.”
JLR’s rapid expansion under the tutelage of Tata, which for example saw it announce earlier this year the creation of a GBP500m (US$804m) engine factory in the UK Midlands town of Wolverhampton, is also creating something of a recruitment headache for the automaker
“We have vacancies,” said Harnett. “[The] purchasing department [for example] has quadrupled in size.”
Harnett also insisted Tata would be around for the long-haul, noting: “There is no reason to doubt it from the top leadership. This is long-term.”
