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Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles join Made in Britain campaign
15th April 2016
Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles has joined the Made in Britain campaign and marked the partnership by adding the official badge to all Vauxhall Vivaro models that are built in Luton.
The Made in Britain Campaign was founded in 2011 with the aim of helping everyone identify British-made products. The not-for-profit campaign now includes thousands of products from over 700 members. Made in Britain members range from large manufacturers to small companies and start-ups, with Vauxhall joining Unipart, Naylor, Anglian Home Improvements and the National Gallery among others on the campaign.
“The campaign team are really excited to celebrate the success of Vivaro and see thousands more Made in Britain badges out there on Vauxhall’s vans,” said John Pearce, CEO of the Made in Britain Campaign. “It is definitely going to accelerate our membership towards this year’s #1000makers target.”
“We want all British manufacturers, big and small, to join our campaign and apply the trademark-protected Made in Britain logo on their goods, their packaging and online. The more people know about where products are made, the easier it is for them to choose to buy British.”
Last year, Vauxhall manufactured 60,280 Vivaro vans at its plant in Luton, with 28,000 of those sold in the UK. Over eight million vehicles have been built at Vauxhall’s Luton site since 1905. Following the closure of the Ford Southampton factory in 2013, Vauxhall’s is the sole flag bearer for UK van manufacturing.
“We are very proud of our 113-year heritage of building vehicles in Britain, and being part of this campaign is a great way to communicate this,” said Rory Harvey, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director.
“The Made in Britain campaign does a brilliant job of reminding customers that we have a highly-skilled workforce on our doorstep, producing thousands of high quality products.”
Vauxhall’s all-new Vivaro was launched in 2014, securing 1,500 jobs at the UK’s only dedicated light commercial vehicle plant after workers won a ten-year contract and a £185 million investment. Thanks to the outstanding attitude and work ethic of the workforce, the Luton plant beat world class competition from across Europe to build the new van.
Vauxhall’s commitment to UK manufacturing has given suppliers across the country a huge lift thanks to £600 million of new business over the life of the Vivaro and 40 per cent of content for the van being sourced locally from British firms.
This is an increase of 60 per cent on the outgoing model and means other UK businesses benefit from the investment and job security that come from Vauxhall winning the contract to build the new van.
And this great British success story doesn’t end there. The Vivaro was designed by a team led by Luton-born Malcolm Ward. In his role as Vauxhall/Opel’s Design Director, Ward follows in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather who both worked at Vauxhall.