JAGUAR Land Rover has announced a two-week shutdown in production at its Lode Lane factory.
The luxury car manufacturer will bring operations to a temporary halt on Monday, October 22.
No jobs will be affected and all workers will continue to be paid, the company says.
It today announced another slump in sales, blaming ‘challenging conditions’ in key markets.
A Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) spokesperson said: “As part of the company’s continued strategy for profitable growth, JLR is focused on achieving operational efficiencies and will align supply to reflect fluctuating demand globally as required.
“The decision to introduce a two week shutdown period later this month at Solihull is one example of actions we are taking to achieve this.
“Customer orders in the system will not be impacted and employees affected will be paid for the duration of the shutdown.”
The company has attributed on-going struggles to Brexit uncertainty and the falling sale of diesel vehicles after the government introduced tax levies last November.
And the company said monthly sales had once again been impacted by persisting ‘China market uncertainty’ after the superpower slashed its import tariffs.
It reported total retail sales of 57,114 vehicles last month, down 12.3 per cent year on year.
Chief commercial officer Felix Brautigam today said: “As a business we are continuing to experience challenging conditions in some of our key markets.
“Customer demand in China in particular has struggled to recover following changes in import tariffs in July and intensifying competition on price, while ongoing global negotiations on potential trade agreements have dampened purchase considerations.”
The news comes after 2,000 agency staff members at JLR’s Castle Bromwich factory were told they will switch to a three-day week until Christmas.
In June it switched production of its Discovery model from Solihull to its new factory in Slovakia.
The company also announced the lay off of 1,000 workers across its West Midlands’ plants in April.
Unite acting regional secretary Howard Beckett said: “News of the shutdown will be deeply troubling for JLR workers and their colleagues in the supply chain.
“JLR is a powerhouse of the West Midlands economy and a source for decent well paid jobs.
“Unite will be working closely with the company, while the West Midlands region gives our members maximum support possible through this troubling time.
“Going forward Unite will continue to press JLR on commitments for future models to be made here in the UK, but the government has serious questions to answer.
“JLR workers are world beaters at the cutting edge of the UK car industry and demand that this Tory government gets a grip on Brexit and meets their concerns for the future.
“Unite will be pulling every lever we can to make certain that the carmaker continues to play a leading role in the life and economy of the West Midlands.”
