According to the Sunday Times, the carmaker has told suppliers about the cut in production with global sales already down 8%. Halewood has also appointed a new operations director. Tony McDonough reports
Output at the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) automotive plant at Halewood in Merseyside is to be cut by 7,000 vehicles a year amid weak sales, a media report claims.
According to the Sunday Times, the carmaker has told suppliers about the cut in production with global sales already down 8% in the current financial year. JLR employs more than 4,000 people at Halewood in Merseyside, assembling the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport models.
The company, owned by Indian conglomerate Tata, is already embarking on a £2.5bn cost-cutting programme which will see the loss of 4,500 jobs in the UK and overseas. JLR employs around 40,000 people in the UK with its two other main assembly plants located in the West Midlands.
In a statement, JLR told LBN: “As part of its standard business practice, Jaguar Land Rover regularly reviews and adjusts its production schedules to ensure market demand is balanced globally.”
The report also said that chief executive Ralf Speth believed to be meeting cabinet member Michael Gove, to discuss Brexit. Mr Speth warned earlier this month that potential disruption from a no-deal Brexit may be unavoidable.
JLR has also appointed a new operations director at Halewood to replace Stuart Lord who recently decided to leave the business. Trevor Leeks joined the company in 2012 where he was part of the senior leadership team that launched the Engine Manufacturing Centre (EMC) in 2014.
He moves to Halewood from the role of operations director at the EMC plant in Wolverhampton. Originally from Essex and married with two children, Mr Leeks started his career at Ford Motor Company on the assembly line in production and was the first group leader at Dagenham engine plant.
Mr Leeks said: “I am really excited to be joining JLR Halewood – the plant and its employees have a great history and reputation both in JLR and in the local community and I am so proud to be given the chance to be a part of Halewood’s future.”