// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
JLR suppliers call for shift to aerospace
JLR suppliers say skills and factories could be redirected into aerospace and defence
Major Jaguar Land Rover suppliers have urged the government to help automotive manufacturers move into aerospace and defence, warning that large-scale car production in the UK faces long-term decline.
In an open letter to the prime minister, chancellor and West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, industry leaders argued Britain's automotive supply chain was "not in decline" but "in the wrong market".
The intervention comes nearly a fortnight after JLR announced plans to cut 4,000 jobs.
The Treasury said it recognised the uncertainty facing workers and was supporting the automotive sector through grants, lower energy costs and investment in electric vehicle production.
JLR has its global headquarters in Coventry and plants in Solihull, Wolverhampton and Halewood.
Signatories to the letter said the redundancies were "the first visible crack" in a UK automotive supply chain supporting about 183,000 manufacturing jobs.
David Roberts said large-scale car production in the UK faced long-term decline
The group, which includes Coventry-based Evtec, Solihull-based Artifex and the Confederation of British Metal Forming, said suppliers faced rising energy costs, growing overseas competition and increasing pressure from vehicle manufacturers sourcing components abroad.
David Roberts, chairman of Evtec, said manufacturers believed high-volume car production in the UK was entering a decade of decline.