Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire has welcomed Jaguar Land Rover’s announcement to double the size of their Engine Manufacturing Centre on the i54 business park in Bilbrook.
The plans, that were announced this week, will see £450 million in investment to double the size of the Engine Manufacturing Centre, making the total size of the investment in the site to £1 billion. This also signals the most significant new automotive manufacturing facility to be built in the UK in the last decade.
The Centre is also home to the high technology, low emission Ingenium engine – Jaguar Land Rover’s first venture in to in-house engine manufacturing in a generation.
Following the opening of the EMC last year, 700 people have now been employed, with the second phase of investment signalling a number of new jobs to be created at the facility. Around 1,000 people work on site currently with the company taking more apprentices and graduate onto their schemes each year.
Gavin was involved in securing a government investment of £10 million that was brought to the South Staffordshire site to fund its new Engine Manufacturing Centre, which was opened by the Queen in October.
Following the announcement Gavin commented: “It is fantastic news that JLR are investing and creating more and more opportunities for people of all ages to work at their brilliant facility. The company is creating more and more jobs and apprenticeship places each year.
“The expansion of the Engine Manufacturing Centre will be extremely beneficial to business and industry right across the region, with more supply chain manufacturers moving into the area.
“Having being involved from the development from the very beginning it’s great to see the company growing beyond expectation and moving from strength to strength, investing in new facilities and hiring more graduates and apprentices.
“Following this announcement and the news that MOOG will be manufacturing parts of the new Boeing P8 maritime patrol aircraft that the Government commissioned this week, it is clear that the i54 and South Staffordshire are fast becoming places that manufactures are looking to invest, which can only mean brilliant things for manufacturing in the area.”