140 new Telford jobs as Denso lands car parts deals
Manufacturer Denso is to create 140 jobs and new production lines after landing contracts with major car producers including BMW's Mini and Jaguar Land Rover.
The car parts manufacturer is ready to start production of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for the range of Minis made in Oxford.
The firm, based at Telford's Hortonwood Industrial Estate, has won the contract for systems that had previously been made overseas.
It has also landed the right to make a similar system for a new Jaguar Land Rover model, plus new products for Honda and Toyota. It is spending £10 million on equipment and will create 140 jobs over the next 12 months to take its local headcount from 710 to 850.
The contract wins were revealed as part of a visit to the Telford site by the Skills Minister Matthew Hancock, who was looking at a new manufacturing partnership aimed at improving skills.
Denso's head of human resources Ian Trennan said: "In terms of production for BMW, we start at the end of this year. It's a challenge as this is a new customer with new products and we will be ramping up capacity over the next 18 months.
"Our overall business plan shows that if everything goes online sales will be back to where they were before 2009. Our staffing numbers will increase in line with our production volumes. We will invest in our headcount and become one of Telford's larger employers."
Telford Manufacturing Partnership includes a number of big names including Aga Rangemaster, printer firms Epson and Ricoh, GKN Autostructures, hazardous materials storage company Denios and Shropshire-based security firm Business Watch Guarding.
It was set up with match-funding of £1 million from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It will create 100 apprenticeships and help fill another 54.
A robotics training section has been established at Denso and local firm Matrix Training has been involved in developing the scheme both for apprentices and workers looking to add to their skill sets.
With Jaguar Land Rover creating more than 6,000 jobs in the West Midlands, many Shropshire manufacturers fear losing their best staff to the production giant while needing to create 24,000 new roles in the motor industry production line to feed the new engine plant between Telford and Wolverhampton.
Mr Hancock said: "Having been on the factory floor, you can see the skills are needed right from management and design down to the technicians putting car parts together."
