The
UK-based vehicle builder, owned by Tata Motors of India, has signed a ‘letter
of intent’ with the Saudi Arabia government that could pave the way for the company
to build vehicles in the Middle Eastern region.
Aluminium
has already become an important element of some Jaguar models and the signs are
that it will become even more so as increasing attention is focused on ‘light-weighting’
of body-in-white (BIW) structures.
Jaguar
already has one of the most up-to-date aluminium stamping lines in the UK at
its Castle Bromwich facility in the West Midlands. The Schuler press lines are
exclusively used to press skin panels and other components in aluminium.
As
time goes by, the utilisation of the lines will increase, and there is the
added bonus of Stadco’s Fort Parkway press facility, also in Castle Bromwich,
which is not only almost next door, but has similar Schuler press lines. These
could be used to provide skin panels for JLR.
According to JLR ‘A detailed feasibility study
is now under way to consider Saudi Arabia as a possible future location for a JaguarLandRover
automotive facility.’
Production
could begin in three to five years and a key attraction is access to a large
aluminium smelter that could provide material for JLR. The move could be the
first step in a £1 billion collaboration and comes hard on the heels of a
similar £1 billion deal to build JLR vehicles in China.
Added
JLR: ‘the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an attractive potential development
option, complementing our existing advanced facilities in Britain and recent
manufacturing plans to expand in other countries, including India and China.’
The
company added: Opportunities have already been identified in aluminium
component production – an area where JLR has established a leadership position.’
Aluminium
is a strategic material and will become increasingly so as JLR spreads material
usage wider and deeper throughout its product range. And while the Saudi Arabia
initiative contains many if’s, but’s and could’s, there is no doubt in which
direction the UK-based company is pushing.
Increased
use of aluminium could also provide additional business for German press maker
Schuler, without doubt the leading producer of press lines able to process
sheet aluminium.
It
could be could news too for Stadco which acquired the Fort Parkway facility
following the demise of Mayflower Corporation. Stadco has so far failed to make
full use of the capacity that is available at the site which as the potential
to double its capacity. ∎