Major car company to source locally in the UK as a strategy

Iconic car maker Jaguar Land Rover has looked to local sourcing in the UK as a strategy after awarding AUD$3.2 billion worth of supply contracts to UK companies in a move that will create up to 5, 000 local UK jobs.

The news, reported by the UK’s Daily Telegraph, will come as a welcome boost to western suppliers which have struggled against mounting competition from far-eastern, low-cost country suppliers.

A further boost to UK automotive suppliers came from a report compiled by the UK's Automotive Council which claimed that a third of supply contracts lost by UK companies had gone to Western Europe, rather than the Far East and, as a result, could be won back.

The $3.2 billion worth of contracts are specifically for the company’s new Range Rover Evoque vehicle, and more than 40 companies will benefit.

But, according to the company's chief executive, Ralf Speth, these contracts are just the beginning. "The billions being spent on Evoque is just the start, with 40 significant product actions coming over the next five years," he said.

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