Boost for JLR as Welsh Government announces funding for car parts manufacturer
Funding from the Welsh Government will help to secure valuable new business with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) for a car parts manufacturer in Torfaen.
ZF Automotive UK Ltd, which supplies parts to car brands worldwide, will receive £432,000 in funding from the Welsh Government’s Economy Futures Fund allowing the Pontypool-based business, which mainly manufactures brake callipers, to upgrade a production line for the JLR contract.
The funding will help to safeguard more than 60 jobs in Wales and will help ZF Automotive replace its gas heating system, which is over 50-years-old, and improve energy efficiency at its site by reducing carbon emissions.
An increased focus on productivity enhancements will also help staff to develop new skills in manufacturing processes, with opportunities for apprenticeships and graduates created.
Steven McKenzie, director of Operations at ZF Automotive UK Ltd, said: “Our team in Pontypool is passionately working to continually improve our manufacturing operations, to ensure competitiveness in a challenging automotive sector.
“This funding will support our efforts to purchase equipment and tooling to secure new business, in addition to supporting our heating project to significantly improve our energy efficiency.”
Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, said: “ZF Automotive is a well-established and important employer for Pontypool and the surrounding area with many long serving staff.
“The funding will help the business decarbonise and optimise its operations, bringing highly sought after contracts with Jaguar Land Rover to Wales and upskilling staff as a result.”
JLR, which has a manufacturing site in Wolverhampton among its Midlands plants, has been contacted for further comment.
