JLR to hire 1,100 people for Castle Bromwich plant

Even as the United Kingdom reels under economic slowdown, Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) today announced it will hire 1,100 people for its manufacturing facility at Castle Bromwich to support launch of new models.

A recruitment campaign for production operators is being launched today, JLR said in a release.

"Innovation in design, engineering and technology is at the core of our business and for the UK, this means we will continue to invest in new products, develop new technologies and enhance the skills of our employees," Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth said.

"The launch of our latest Jaguar models, including the new XF Sportbrake later this year, means it is a very exciting time for Jaguar. These new models will attract new customers to the brand as we look to expand our global reach and further enhance our position in the market," he said.

Welcoming the development, UK Business Secretary Vince Cable, said: "This is fantastic news for Castle Bromwich that Jaguar Land Rover is creating more than 1,000 jobs to support the production of new models at the plant. This expansion is a clear demonstration of Jaguar Land Rover's continuing commitment and investment in the UK".
The release added that as part of JLR's ambition to deliver 40 significant product actions over the next five years, the Castle Bromwich plant will manufacture the new 2013 Model Year XF and XJ ranges this year.

These models through the introduction of new powertrains and transmissions offer customers greater efficiency, technology and choice than ever before.

The XF range will also see the addition of the XF Sportbrake derivative which, with a load capacity of up to 1675-litres, is billed to be "the most versatile Jaguar built to date".
All of Jaguar's key markets, including China, UK, USA and Europe, have delivered year-on-year sales improvements.

In the 2011-12 fiscal, JLR achieved record profits of 1.5 billion pounds, increase of 392 million pounds compared to the previous year.

In the first six months of the year, Jaguar has sold  more than 29,000 vehicles globally, which is a 19 per cent increase against the same period last year, the release added.