Tata to close one UK factory

Indian manufacturer Tata Motors Ltd, who bought the legendary British marques Jaguar and Land Rover for 2.4 billion US dollars in 2008, have just announced that they will shut at least one of their factories in England by 2014. The manufacturing plant in Castle Bromwich, where 2,100 workers currently build Jaguars, and the neighbouring former Rover factory in Solihull near Birmingham, where 5,000 are employed in the production of the Land Rover, are under threat. Tata spokesman Paul Chadderton disclosed that 800 new jobs would be created at the Halewood plant near Liverpool to produce the new Range Rover LRX.

The three factories are running at only 60% capacity due to a decline in orders. Since September 2008, around 2,500 employees have already lost their jobs. The final decision as to which factory will close will be taken early next year.