Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has invested in in-house toolmaking for the first time in its history.
Jaguar and Land Rover as two separate brands have had pretty storied histories, but as a single entity, it feels like they’re still finding their footing. JLR is under new management now and their new CEO, Thierry Bolloré wants them to internalize some of their costs it would seem. This is why the company recently spent £1.7 million upgrading facilities at their Halewood plant. The newly constructed Press Die Manufacturing Centre features a 5-axis milling machine that makes blanking dies from raw castings.
Before this, JLR had been outsourcing its press tool production. The company anticipates that its employees will be able to learn some new skills with the opening of this new facility. It will also allow the company to improve efficiency and quality. We’ll probably see them put these to good use in future electric vehicles from the two marques.
This investment is part of the ambitious Reimagine plan that will see JLR becoming the most profitable luxury brand within 10 years or less.
Here’s the press release with more information.
PRESS RELEASE
Jaguar Land Rover has started manufacturing its own press tools in-house for the first time following a £1.7m investment at its Halewood plant.
The company had previously outsourced the production of its press tools, so this will allow it to drive efficiency and quality, as well as give employees the opportunity to learn new skills, to build and operate these tools.
The investment involves the installation of a new Press Die Manufacturing Centre – the first of its kind in Jaguar Land Rover, with a state-of-the-art five-axis milling machine, which manufactures press tools – known as blanking dies – from raw castings. The blanking dies are the first stage in the manufacture of car body panels, during new vehicle production.
Progress is well under way at the new centre with the factory producing pressed parts for future Jaguar and Land Rover models, across its sites globally.
Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood facilities will also be upgraded to enable the production of fully electric vehicles, as part of its new global Reimagine strategy, as the company drives forward with the electrification of both Jaguar and Land Rover brands.
