ROUND-UP SEPTEMBER 2019
In Depth 67
Fast facts: Mini Plant Oxford
One new Mini is
produced every
67 seconds
1959
The first Mini
was produced
in Oxford
80%
Of all Minis are
exported – to
over 100 countries
Celebrations at Plant Oxford
as ten millionth Mini produced
The ten millionth Mini has rolled
off the production line at Plant
Oxford, 60 years since the first
model was built.
To celebrate the landmark, the car –
aptly, a Mini 60 Years Anniversary
Edition – was joined by 59 other Minis,
one from each year of production, for a
special event at the factory.
Leading the way was 621 AOK, the
very first Mini built in 1959. Designed by
Alec Issigonis, the Mini revolutionised
the automotive world. It was built
in Oxford from its launch until 1968,
when production moved to the historic
Longbridge factory near Birmingham,
before returning to its spiritual Plant
Oxford home in 2000.
Today, three factories play a key
role in Mini production: Hams Hall
near Birmingham produces engines,
Swindon produces body pressings and
sub-assemblies, with all the parts coming
together at the Oxford plant, which
includes body shell production, paint
and final assembly.
Under BMW Group ownership since
2001, the company has undergone a
renaissance in recent years: between
1959 and 2000, a total of 5.3 million
vehicles were built. Since BMW took
over, 4.7 million have been built in
under 18 years. Output at the Oxford
factory has grown from around 300
cars per day in 2001 to 1,000 today,
with the 4,500-strong team producing
a new Mini every 67 seconds.
Over £2 billion has been invested
by BMW into its UK manufacturing
sites since 2000. At Oxford, this
includes an extension to the plant’s
body shop and new facilities in the
paint shop and final assembly areas.
November 2019 will see production
start of the new Mini Electric, which
was officially launched in July this
year. Around 80% of all Minis built
are exported – last year, over 400,000
vehicles were sold in 110 countries.
“To see the ten millionth Mini roll
BMW MINI
off the production line here at Oxford
was a moment of great pride for the
whole team, a number of whom have
relatives who were here building the very
first Minis in 1959,” said Peter Weber,
managing director of Mini Plant Oxford
and Swindon. “This is a wonderful
chapter in the Mini story and proof of
the passion that our customers have
for this very special British car.”
Lloyds research finds
industry ‘lacks leaders’
Britain’s largest manufacturers admit
there is a skills gap among their
managers, according to Lloyds Bank
Commercial Banking’s Business in
Britain report, a survey of 200
manufacturing businesses with a
turnover of over £50 million.
Amid widespread concerns about the
UK’s productivity, 88% say they suffer
from a skills shortage of some kind.
Almost half (49%) say employees in
middle or senior management roles who
are typically charged with improving
productivity, lack skills. This compares
to two-fifths (18%) who say there is a
skills gap among those in entry level or
shop floor positions. Just one in 10 (9%)
reported no skills issues at all.
Half (51%) of the firms surveyed say
that grant funding from government to
invest in training would help them upskill
their workers. Such funding would see
government money allocated to
businesses specifically to help them
invest in training. Slightly fewer (48%)
feel further and higher education
courses would help, while more than
two-fifths (45%) call for manufacturing
to be added into the national curriculum.
However, when asked about
investment, manufacturers were more
likely to prioritise creating new products
(23%) than funding training (17%).
“Larger manufacturers are being
brutally honest about the skills shortage
affecting their sector and are highlighting
that the problem is most pronounced
at management levels,” said Steve
Harris, head of manufacturing for large
corporates at Lloyds Bank Commercial
Banking. “Not only do manufacturers rely
on managers to execute strategies and
deliver growth, most experts agree good
management is key to improving
productivity. With the OECD placing
the UK behind the US, Japan, France
and Germany when it comes to
productivity, it is clear the sector needs
to invest in upskilling the next generation
of managers now.”
8 www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk