Norton completes factory move
The new HQ will be a permanent base for all staff and incorporates state-of-the-art design, engineering, manufacturing and quality control capabilities. The opening is the result of a multi-million-pound investment from Norton's new parent company, TVS Motor Company (India).
Commissioning is expected to be completed in Q1 2021 and the company says that "over 50 high quality new jobs have already been created and more are expected to follow as business activity grows, providing a welcome boost to the local economy".
The site at Solar Park, Solihull is the most advanced facility that Norton has ever had in the 122-year-old motorcycle brand's history.
The premises will be the central hub for all of Norton's operations, providing a permanent base for design, engineering, purchasing, sales, marketing and support teams, as well as the skilled production team that is resuming manufacture of motorcycles. 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 benefiting from substantial new investment.
In addition to some of the existing tooling, the company says that "the new facility will make use of modern-day, quality-assured production processes, skilled technicians 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, with production of the V4SS commencing soon".
Sudarshan Venu, joint Managing Director of TVS Motor, 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 for Norton.
"2020 was 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 nine months. This new facility 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.
"This investment also represents the start of an important partnership between the West Midlands and TVS Motor. 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."
