Cast your mind back a few months to all the bad news surfacing in the automotive industry and you would be forgiven for expecting to see reports saying that 2015 was a bad year for the industry.

There were product recalls due to faulty airbag units which impacted the likes of Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Honda. Then there was the Volkswagen emissions scandal. At the end of 2015 it was estimated that 11 million cars were recalled due to the emissions issues alone and UK sales of some of its brands fell sharply in October and November.

However, despite these problems throughout the year, the UK car manufacturing industry has continued to do well and is re-establishing a reputation for quality, manufacturing excellence and innovation. So well in fact, that it hit a 10 year high in 2015 and exported more vehicles than ever before.

The society of motor manufacturers and traders reported that the number of cars built in 2015 was up 3.9% on 2014. Exports were up 2.7% despite falls in sales to Russia and China, due mainly to the increased demand for UK built cars from Europe. New vehicle registrations were also up on 2014. According to figures the sector has seen a 40% increase in productivity since 2010 making the UK the third largest car producer in the EU.

The sector now accounts for 11.8% of total UK exports with major companies like Rolls Royce, Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan all stating that Europe is important to their continued success.

Another factor that could be helping UK car manufacturing is the investment that companies are making for the future. Technology and systems are being developed and implemented that will improve things and drive longer term strategies.

Maclaren Automotive added a second shift at its production centre in Woking creating 250 new jobs. Jaguar Land Rover has invested in product creation across its manufacturing plants and development and innovation centres. In addition, 32,000 of its 37,000 global workforce are based in the UK. Rolls Royce is adding a single line manufacturing system and is opening a new Technology and Logistics Centre this year. It has created highly skilled jobs and has had record intakes on its apprenticeship scheme.

Click here to see some of the highlights of 2015 from Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley, Maclaren and Mini UK.

PRV Engineering work extensively in the automotive industry and it’s great to be able to report that things continue to improve in the sector.

At PRV Engineering Ltd we believe in providing you, the customer, with a comprehensive service to enable us to solve any problems you may have. Developing our working relationship so that you receive a higher quality service and product that will satisfy your requirements. To this end we also offer a manufacturing development service to improve current products and production methods to attain a higher durability and more cost effective purchase. In short, if you want to make it better, we are here to help!!
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