BMW invests in UK MINI growth
1 min read
BMW Group plans to invest a further £250m in its UK manufacturing operations by the end of 2015 to support the company's international growth strategy for the MINI brand.
The investments will be made at the MINI manufacturing plant in Oxford, steel body pressings operation at Swindon and engine plant at Hams Hall near Birmingham. These funds are additional to the £500m announced in June 2011 brings the total to £1.75 billion since 2000. The news also means additional job security for the company's 5500 UK workforce.
The extra volume for the growth strategy of the MINI brand and the complexity of new model lines means that additional production capacity for MINI sales beyond Oxford's maximum capacity is needed in the medium term and the company is now considering how to achieve this.
As the volume and variety of the MINI model line-up grows, there will be additional production requirements for engines and body panels from the BMW Group's specialist UK facilities in Hams Hall and Swindon. Part of the new investment is to develop specific production facilities to meet these requirements.
