In the UK the SMMT announced this week, safe restart guidance, specifically for the Automotive Manufacturing sector. Manufacturers UK wide began this week to welcome back the workforce with comprehensive guidelines and safety measures covering work locations, inbound and outbound logistics, offices and access points.
The SMMT, who we work closely with at Amco, developed the guidelines in consultation with OEMs, vehicle and supply chain manufacturers. The SMMT have developed these guidelines to work with, and complement, government guidance for the UK manufacturing industries and to help automotive manufacturers to complete a risk assessment and implement legal requirements in line with their individual requirements.
SMMT chief Mike Hawes said, “Government measures to support the critical Automotive Industry during the crisis have provided an essential lifeline, and the sector is now ready to return to work to help the UK rebuild.”
The Automotive sector is the UK’s largest single exporter of goods and Amco’s largest customer sector. The sector trades with over 150 countries and makes up over 14% of the UK’s total export business. The sector employers nearly 180,000 people and delivers an annual £18.6 billion to the public purse making the sector one of the UK’s most valuable economic assets.
Amco work across multiple sectors with Automotive as a specialism and representing a large percentage of their turnover. Back to work and gearing up for a new normal is the Amco focus but as a flexible and talented business, we can and do work across multiple sectors with a wide variety of customer types.
Kia has announced that all UK showrooms, service centres and MOT centres will open on 1st June and that all dealerships have introduced new H&S measures in line with UK government requirements.
Ford has resumed production at its UK engine plants in Dagenham and Bridgend, with new social distancing and safety measures in place.
Amco customer Jaguar Land Rover this week completed production of the first Range Rover made under new social distancing measures at its reopened Solihull factory.
JLR‘s factories in Graz, Austria and Nitra, Slovakia also resumed production this week, with the Halewood plant due to resume on 8 June.
Another Amco customer Bentley has published its Covid-19 risk assessment, as it prepares to further ramp up production at its Crewe factory.
The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance announces a major restructure of the agreement between the three car firms, with each focusing on key regions and technologies.
Honda is set to resume production at its Swindon factory in June, with new safety measures in place.