How is it going?
Ford today told 8,000 stunned workers at Land Rover's giant Solihull plant: "You have just eight weeks to save your jobs."
The US giant's most senior executive in Europe delivered the ultimatum to shocked management and unions at the famous Lode Lane factory.
Mark Fields demanded that both sides came up by August with a "road map" for big improvements to bring the plant up to world class standards.
Without agreement, the 4x4 car making plant would be starved of investment and left at serious risk of closure, he said.
Mr Fields said: "The transformation of Solihull into a competitive facility is fundamental to Land Rover's future success and I have given the plant eight weeks to draw up the road map.
"I will review the road map in two months time and if it truly is a firm commitment to continuous future improvement it will have my full support and endorsement."
The shock warning came as thousands of visitors flocked to the public opening of Birmingham Motor Show just a few miles down the road at the NEC.
Some observers immediately drew parallels with BMW's dramatic announcement at the show six years ago when it warned that the axe was hovering over Longbridge.
That precipitated the crisis which eventually led to BMW ditching its Rover operations.
Today Matthew Taylor, Land Rover managing director, who was in the meeting with Mr Fields, said there had been a "very frank but extremely positive set of discussions between management and unions".
He said both sides had been told that it was "crunch time for Solihull".
He added that the company was in one of the fastest growing markets in the car industry with sports utility vehicles set to rise by 40 percent over the next five years.
But he warned that Solihull would have to take significant measures to bring its competitiveness and quality up to world standards.
The company has missed many of the standards expected of global car producers and is way behind rivals and especially its near neighbour and fellow Ford subsidiary Jaguar.
Asked what would happen if the work force was unable to agree the way forward in the next two months, Mr Taylor said: "Nobody is contemplating such a scenario."
But he added: "If we are unable to produce a plant that has world class standards, investment decisions will be made on where we are and inevitably it will mean the steady decline of investment coming into the plant and put pressure on long term viability."
The plant has suffered poor industrial relations over the last few years with demands for productivity and quality improvements being the subject of tortuous negotiations.
There was strike action earlier this year over pay and flexibility issues.
The workforce was infuriated last summer when Ford announced that it was switching production of the new Free-lander to the Jaguar plant on Merseyside by 2006.
Dave Osbourne, senior TGWU national negotiator, today insisted: "It is wrong to say all of this has to be done in eight weeks.
"We are talking about a road-map for on-going discussions with the objective of reaching best-in-class levels in five years."
The jobs of 8,000 Land Rover staff are under threat. Post your messages of support to the workforce here. Land Rover support: new broom from birmingham 01:06:32 AM 31 May 2004 Memo to Ford: Land Rover management are the problem--get rid of them!---the track workers can only do what they're told to do!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nick from Johannesburg South Africa 12:08:16 PM 30 May 2004 Here is why.. -US JD Powers vehicle dependability survey for 2003 places the Land Rover marque second to last. - Land Rover Discovery
6th from Bottom of 100 models for reliability in UK Auto Express Joint 16th from Bottom in 144 car 2002 JD Power UK based ?What Car?' magazine Customer Satisfaction survey -Landrover had joint highest average cost in warranty claims for cars up to 10 years old in 2002 UK Warranty Direct index - Land Rover Disco Joint second bottom in 2002 UK Which magazine reliability survey of cars up to 2 years old- however only 35 cars in the Land Rover sample. -Land Rover 3rd least reliable of 31 makes of car in 2002 UK 'Which?' magazine reliability survey cars 2000 - 2002 least reliable of 32 makes built 1997 - 1999. Spate of engine power, gearbox and exploding clutch problems which LandRover will not repair under warranty Only 89% breakdown free in 2003 UK ?Which?' magazine JD Powers survey-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- track worker from solihull 05:52:56 PM 29 May 2004 the problem with land rover is the management they are poorly organised have no idea how to run a production line and would rather build rubbish and work overtime than stop the line and put it right which was something the workers were promised 3 years ago, when all workers attended a course called lrps it shows the managers cannot deliver on promises and we cannot trust them now, they alone will see land rover shut not the track workers who already give it all they have got and have been flexible enough if the current managers have to put a survival plan together they might as well shut the doors now because thats what will happen leaving people who are incompetent to try and sort this out
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- michael from bham 01:53:27 PM 29 May 2004 I do believe that solihull will close.It seems that whatever we do the bar gets raised so it can never be achieved. The land is viable and Ford dont care if the car is built in Solihull or Outer Mongolia. The management can talk Lexus quality but as yet none of them can produce it, including Jaguar who are swarming all over us with no better results apart from the half billion they lost last year compared to our (landrovers) modest profit, doesnt add up really? hence why I say keep taking the money/turning up and trying your best as you have done consistantly, this decision is already made and I wish everyone associated with the company the best of luck as we will need it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roger Taylor from Windsor NS Canada 02:46:52 AM 29 May 2004 Ford has had its knocks in the past and has learnt that the Asians make automobile quality a matter of intense national pride. Ford learnt hthat in north America, to its cost; maybe it's about time that UK workers realize that sticking to the "status quo" just doesn't cut u anymore. If Rover workers really took pride in the quality of their cars,they would realize that Ford is doing them a favor!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rico from Melbourne Australia 12:56:08 AM 29 May 2004 Good luck to all you Brummies. Hope the plant stays open & you keep your jobs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ray from birmingham 10:34:01 PM 28 May 2004 People on the assembly line can not work any harder believe me. There has also been to many agency workers on the line who have not been trained properly . the quality is poor because the plant has far to many non producers. and the jobs on the assembly line are far to overloaded.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave H from Birmingham 01:28:09 PM 28 May 2004 Here we go again,'Lets side up with the Employer and not the Employee season again'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spencer Ryan from Bremen 11:39:00 AM 28 May 2004 I think that the management are doing the plant a favour. They are giving them the possiblity to change. It could have been easier for them to close it down without saying anything. At least now they know they have to get their act together.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- nick from leamington spa 08:18:11 AM 28 May 2004 As much as i like Land Rovers, people really do want something ogf better quality for 20k. I spent 7500 on a new Skoda a few months ago, and i think it is of better build quality than my parents Freelander. Ford no doubt have Eastern European plants that could build the car - Land Rover workers must accept change asap
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael from Birmingham 07:48:26 AM 28 May 2004 I work in the supply chain, we have had to suffer threats like this, from Land Rover to all its suppliers for years. The plant is way behind the times. There are more people doing nothing then there are working. Suppliers have had to cut prices by 20% improve quality and generally bend over backwards without a penny more in wages - Solihull Workers, welcome to the world you have helped create. As for closing the plant, well that has been on the cards since the day Ford took over, anyone who couldn't see that is just stupid. I hope it doesn't happen, its not just the Land Rover workers who will lose their jobs there are a lot more in the supply chain which will go.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chris from Birmingham 06:34:22 AM 28 May 2004 I do not work for Rover, however several of my very close friends do, and from what I see and hear they are a very dedicated bunch of workers, and I wish them well for their future, and the future of both Rover and Birmingham.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter F.Thompson from Palm Desert, California 12:58:06 AM 28 May 2004 I work at a Land Rover Dealership here in the U.S. The spare parts and New Cars are very slow in arriving. The factory must keep up with the rest of the world, it needs to modernise. Unfortunately this was the main reason, together with the unions destroying the industry, why Britain lost all its automobile market. I know what I am talking about. I served an Apprenticeship there over 50 years ago before moving to the Jaguar Factory in Coventry. It's a fact, you must keep up with the rest of the world. There is a lot of competition out there.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chas from Solihull 10:41:55 PM 27 May 2004 Landrover employees from what i have seen and heard still believe that ford will not close the plant.Ford is bigger than land rover and has the space in many of its plants throughout the world to build these vehicles with employees that are committed to total success and not just a weekly wage.Made in Solihull no longer means a landrover!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- mark from Birmingham 09:50:37 PM 27 May 2004 l work at land rover they will never get the quality standard unless the people doing nothing all day help the ones who are they are working far to fast to be able to set that standard my personal though is there is a hidden agenda may be ford want to sell the land all could Birmingham airport plans have something to do with it
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ian from Sutton Coldfield 08:35:21 PM 27 May 2004 The fact is that the cars are overpriced, of poor build quality, and cannot compete with more modern imports. They have relied on the name for too long, and those days are gone. Way of the world, should have learnt by now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- carl 07:17:24 PM 27 May 2004 hurry up and shut the place down, im fed up of being treated like a schoolboy slave!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'worried' from birmingham 06:40:12 PM 27 May 2004 There are no other options left at Land Rover now! ----'EVERYONE' must accept whatever changes are necessary to make the plant more productive---let Ford have the working practice changes they want----jobs are far more important than hanging on to out-dated inflexible union rules------then if Ford still want to close it Solihull, they will anyway!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom from Birmingham 02:52:01 PM 27 May 2004 The Company has to improve its position if it wants to survive. It is a fact. However it is not helped in its cause by the media only supplying part of the story and making the situation appear worse than it is.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- macca from solihull 02:09:45 PM 27 May 2004 sad fact is that to survive the plant's got to get leaner. Simple economics.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Smith from Erdington 01:55:47 PM 27 May 2004 Our people are among the most commited in the land, europe and the world. This is yet another example of sledgehammer management. Threats, threats, threats...