Multimillion pound plan sets scene for new MG
Chinese-owned car firm MG Motor UK has started a multi-million pound investment plan to ramp up production of its new car to thousands a year.
The production line at Longbridge is up and running again – with 25 MG TF sports cars rolling off the lines every week at the south Birmingham car factory.
The plant which once produced thousands of cars a week in its British Leyland days is humming with activity once more as the new Chinese era at Longbridge enters a vital new phase.
MG Motor UK has finally resumed production at the car plant following a six-month standstill – and 155 Birmingham-built sports cars will be shipped to more than 40 UK dealers to meet demand for the spring and summer.
The long-awaited resumption of manufacturing comes as Longbridge undergoes a multi-million pound Chinese makeover in advance of the launch of the MG6 model later this year.
The site was acquired by Nanjing Automobile in 2006. Nanjing was later bought by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).
Small-scale production of MG cars resumed in 2008.
The development plan involves the installation of assembly systems to increase production rates and the addition of a second line alongside the MG TF sports car assembly line. The MG TF line has been running since 2008, said MG Motor UK, with around 25 vehicles rolling off it a week.
Guy Jones, sales and marketing director, said: “The MG6 is much higher volume than the TF. We are building hundreds a year; next year we will be building thousands.”
Jones said that the MG6 will be running on an “updated and modernised version” of the Rover 75 production line.
The Rover 75 was produced at the site until Rover MG went into administration in 2005.
Jones said: “The factory here previously built hundreds and thousands of vehicles.
“We were fine for space but the line has to be configured to take the MG6. It’s a lot of work taking in a new vehicle that the site wasn’t originally designed for.”
The latest developments at the site include carrier systems to carry the MG6 car bodies the full length of the building.
The production line will also include a bespoke mounting system for fitting the engine gearbox to the vehicle.
Other developments include plant to perform road and water tests on the cars as well as electronic systems testing facilities.
A technical centre, which opened at the start of the year, has been built to cater for 200 engineers at the site and a design studio opens next month.
The Birmingham site employs more than 300 people but Jones said the development work may provide more jobs in the future.
“We will still be a very lean assembly facility but overall the workforce at the factory is growing,” he said. “We are back in full production. Cars are rolling off and the line is full.
“We are building the next batch of 155 MG TF cars – we have a lot of dealer orders and are getting new dealers joining the franchise. There are between 20 and 30 guys dedicated to production. We are getting about five cars a day off the line.”
The return of production at Longbridge sees the Birmingham car factory back in full flow nearly five years after Chinese firm Nanjing bought the assets of MG Rover for £53 million in July 2005.
Last month it was revealed that Longbridge was to be renamed MG Birmingham, with an MG Worldwide Design Studio at the heart of the new operation and millions of pounds of new investment.
Tuesday, 18 May, 2010
