First Range Rover produced with social distancing rolls out

MANILA: On May 20, the first Range Rover developed in compliance with new health measures rolled out of the manufacturing facility of Jaguar Land Rover in Solihull, UK.

The new factory protocols ensure not just the quality of the vehicles, but the safety, health, and well-being of the employees through stringent health monitoring, social distancing, and hygiene measures.

This is the first Range Rover produced  following the temporary shutdown of operations due to the onslaught of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Jaguar Land Rover Executive Director for Manufacturing Grant McPherson stated that this is a significant event for the company, as well as the businesses that are part of their supply chain. It signals the culmination of the temporary shutdown and serves as the commencement for the “new normal” of business operations.

According to Unite the Union National Officer Des Quinn, the company is grateful that Jaguar Land Rover has not just enforced government guidance but has exceeded by guaranteeing and satisfying numerous safety systems in place from the moment employees come to work up to the time that they leave the workplace.

Measures that have been put in place before the release of the Range Rover from the production line involve the comprehensive review of communal spaces, office areas, engineering facilities, and production lines as Jaguar Land Rover gradually resumes operations. Other measures include sanitization, inclusion of one-way systems, wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE), maintenance of a two-meter distance between people, and temperature scanning using thermal cameras.

The personnel of Jaguar Land Rover will also experience some modifications in terms of their work shifts once they return to the facility. Aside from this, Jaguar Land Rover will provide each worker with its own manufactured reusable face visors.

Furthermore, colleagues will be requested to take the necessary precautionary measures before returning to the site. These include temperature monitoring in their homes before every shift, registering to a health and well-being charter, and accomplishing an online clinical questionnaire.

The stringent protocols being implemented in the manufacturing facility were based on an extensive operational and medical review, along with lessons that Jaguar Land Rover has learned from teams in Slovakia and China. The company is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and is complying with guidelines from reputable authorities in their market.

The manufacture of Land Rover and Jaguar vehicles also resumed this week at the production facilities in Austria and Slovakia.

As most countries are easing lockdown guidelines and dealerships are gradually reopening worldwide, the resumption of production at other manufacturing plants of Jaguar Land Rover will be confirmed in the next few weeks.

Photos from Jaguar Land Rover

Also read: Jaguar Land Rover outlines safety protocols ahead of dealership reopening