Jaguar Land Rover invests £450m into Engine Manufacturing Centre

The plant, which opened in October 2014, has so far received £1bn worth of investment and produced over 50,000 low-emission Ingenium engines used in the Jaguar XE and Discovery Sport.

This latest investment in the EMC will see the site increase its operational footprint to 200,000 square metres, supporting an increase in capacity in line with JLR’s ‘product offensive’.

Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover CEO said: “The Engine Manufacturing Centre is a strategically significant facility for Jaguar LandRover. The decision to expand our operations at the site provides a clear signal of ourcommitment 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.”

According to Jaguar Land Rover, today’s announcement will lead to the creation of several hundred new jobs at the Centre in a move that will see Jaguar Land Rover’s global workforce reach 40,000 by 2016. In the twelve months since it opened the EMC has seen its workforce reach 700 with further recruitment on-going.

Welcoming today’s announcement, Rachel Eade, automotive lead for the Business Growth Service, said: “There has been a lot of talk about Jaguar Land Rover’s global expansion plans and the possibility of creating new plants overseas.

“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 Jaguar Land Rover, today’s announcement sees the EMC cementing its position at the heart of the company’s manufacturing operations by supplying all three of its vehicle plants with engines that also power the Range Rover Evoque, Jaguar XF and Jaguar F-PACE.