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| Jaguar Land Rover to create 700 new jobs at i54 plant | Jaguar Land Rover to create 700 new jobs at i54 plant |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Jaguar Land Rover is to invest a further £150m to double the size of its unfinished engine plant in the West Midlands, creating 700 additional jobs. | Jaguar Land Rover is to invest a further £150m to double the size of its unfinished engine plant in the West Midlands, creating 700 additional jobs. |
| The company aims to raise the eventual number of jobs on the i54 business park on the Staffordshire-Wolverhampton border to more than 1,400. | |
| The first engines are scheduled to come off the production line in 2015. | The first engines are scheduled to come off the production line in 2015. |
| Jaguar Land Rover's initial plans set out in 2011 were for a £355m investment and nearly 750 jobs. | |
| Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which has its headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire, said total investment at the i54 site would now be more than £500m. | Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which has its headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire, said total investment at the i54 site would now be more than £500m. |
| 'New resource' | 'New resource' |
| The company has also announced spending of £2.75bn on further product development. | |
| Executive director Mike Wright said i54 was a major part of the company's long term plans. | |
| "Since the original announcement was made in 2011 we've been able to look at our plans, look at potential for our products around the world and as a result of that analysis we've decided to put even more capacity into the engine manufacturing centre, invest more money and create more jobs," he said. | |
| The firm reported a 30% increase in global sales last year, selling 357,773 vehicles to 177 different countries. | |
| It can be said this latest announcement is surprising because the plant is still being built and even before it is finished Jaguar Land Rover wants to make it bigger. | |
| But it reflects the recent fortunes in the company. Demand is increasing from areas like China and JLR obviously feels confident it needs a bigger workforce to deal with it. | |
| This year alone it says it is bringing out another eight versions of existing models. | |
| There is always a debate whether these are "real" jobs or not. JLR tends to take on staff on a temporary basis to start with for their first year and they then move to a one-year contract. After that time they are made permanent. | |
| There is an argument about why not make them permanent from day one, but for the company it helps them to keep track of demand in the market. | |
| Sales in the Chinese market have risen 80% in the past year, the company said. | |
| Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said the news was a "fantastic boost for manufacturing". | Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said the news was a "fantastic boost for manufacturing". |
| He said: "Having lobbied JLR and the last Labour government to set up a new engine plant in the West Midlands, we're delighted that this state-of-the-art facility is going to be expanded. | He said: "Having lobbied JLR and the last Labour government to set up a new engine plant in the West Midlands, we're delighted that this state-of-the-art facility is going to be expanded. |
| "This is a massive vote of confidence in the skills of the UK workforce. | "This is a massive vote of confidence in the skills of the UK workforce. |
| "JLR's investment will generate quality jobs in the West Midlands and is a much-needed shot in the arm for Britain's struggling manufacturing sector." | "JLR's investment will generate quality jobs in the West Midlands and is a much-needed shot in the arm for Britain's struggling manufacturing sector." |
| Ninder Johal from the Black Country Chamber of Commerce said the news did not surprise him. | |
| He said: "We've been hearing a lot of positives in the news about all the sales in China and developing economies for Jaguar and it's a boost for the area. | |
| "Jaguar Land Rover didn't come to the Black Country because they felt like it, they came here for a specific reason, the skills are here, the supply chain is here and logistically it's easy to get your products in and out." | |
| Staffordshire County Council is investing £18.5m to build a dedicated road junction on the M54 for access to the plant, which will be matched by investment from Wolverhampton City Council. | Staffordshire County Council is investing £18.5m to build a dedicated road junction on the M54 for access to the plant, which will be matched by investment from Wolverhampton City Council. |
| A joint statement by the two councils and South Staffordshire Council said it was "excellent news" | A joint statement by the two councils and South Staffordshire Council said it was "excellent news" |
| It said: "We are delighted that Jaguar Land Rover is strengthening its commitment to the i54 South Staffordshire site before construction of the main facility has even been completed. | It said: "We are delighted that Jaguar Land Rover is strengthening its commitment to the i54 South Staffordshire site before construction of the main facility has even been completed. |
| "Extending the plant will create hundreds of jobs in addition to the 750 that will be created when the advanced engine manufacturing facility is operational - not to mention the thousands more through the supply chain." | "Extending the plant will create hundreds of jobs in addition to the 750 that will be created when the advanced engine manufacturing facility is operational - not to mention the thousands more through the supply chain." |