3 minute read
Norton invests in new factory in Solihull
Norton Motorcycles is moving to a new headquarters, following a multi-million pound investment by its Indian parent company, TVS Motor Company.
The 122-year-old motorcycle brand will be moving from Leicestershire to a state-of-the-art production site located in Solar Park, Solihull. Over 50 new jobs have already been created and more are expected to follow as business activity grows.
TVS acquired Norton Motorcycles in April 2020 after the business entered administration. The new premises will now be the central hub for all of Norton operations, providing a permanent base for all staff. It will be home to design, engineering, purchasing, sales, marketing, and support teams, as well as the production team that is resuming motorcycle manufacturing.
Some of the specialist tooling and equipment previously used by Norton has been carried over to the new site in Solihull, but the site is also benefiting from substantial new investment.
Norton Motorcycles is to open its new factory in Solihull following a multi-million pound investment / Picture: The Norton Motorcycle Co
The new manufacturing facility will make use of modern-day, quality-assured production processes. Skilled technicians will deploy bespoke bike building techniques and state-of-the-art new manufacturing equipment to ensure all bikes are built with great precision and quality. Norton will resume production of the Commando Classic model at the Solihull site, building a limited quantity to honour customers that had ordered and paid for a deposit on these bikes. Production of the V4SS will commence soon and the full opening of the facility is expected in Q1 2021.
Sudarshan Venu, joint managing director of TVS Motors, said: “The opening of the new headquarters represents a significant step forward for Norton Motorcycles. The opening of this state-of-the-art facility will create the foundations for a sustainable long-term future of Norton. The new bikes will meet the world class standards our customers expect.
“2020 has been a tough year for the world but we are excited to be moving into our new home and we are delighted this has been created by the Norton and TVS teams in just 9 months. This new facility underpinned by strong quality processes will produce bikes truly worthy of the illustrious Norton brand and take it into the future. We are setting out to create a future for the company, our employees, our customers and our partners that lives up to the highest expectations and enable Norton to once again become the real force its history deserves.”
The new HQ will be a permanent base for all staff and incorporates state-of-the-art design, engineering and quality capabilities / Picture: The Norton Motorcycle Co
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, added: “The arrival of Norton’s global headquarters to Solihull is a real vote of confidence in our region as we look to recover from the pandemic. It speaks volumes to the strides the West Midlands has taken forward in recent years that Norton has chosen to come home after more than a decade based outside the region. This investment not only re-establishes our historic partnership with Norton, but will set a world-class benchmark for exceptional motorcycle manufacturing at the heart of our region, creating hundreds of jobs in the process at what is an incredibly challenging time economically.
“This investment also represents the start of an important partnership between the West Midlands and TVS Motors. With Tata-owned JLR also based in the region, the West Midlands has a good relationship with India that we are constantly looking to improve through the West Midlands India Partnership. This investment by Norton exemplifies what exactly we are trying to achieve with the partnership, and I am delighted to welcome the company back home.”
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