Wellingborough Lotus Cars plant to be run by new firm

The Lotus factory handover to BCW took place on April 4

A Wellingborough plant run by a sports car manufacturer has been handed over to a Lancashire-firm.

Lotus Lightweight Structures Anodising on the Park Farm Industrial Estate provides protective coatings to ensure aluminium components on Lotus cars do not go rusty.

The 64,000 square foot site has been operated by Lotus since 2009.

But now Burnley-based BCW Manufacturing Group will run the site.

A statement from the firms said: “This ‘win-win’ move allows Lotus to focus efforts on core business processes at a critical time in its new sports car programme – including the Lotus Emira – and to enable greater manufacturing volumes in the future.

“As a current Tier One supplier within the automotive industry, BCW is a natural fit to take over the operation of the Wellingborough site, which Lotus had operated since 2009.”

Claire Whelan, managing director of the Ansuka Group, the holding company of BCW Manufacturing Group, said: “We are pleased to secure Wellingborough and its current workforce, the site will more than double our anodising capacity.

“We have been busy working to ensure the transition to BCW is as smooth as possible. We have a fantastic team to help deliver this.

"With the 20 jobs already in Wellingborough, this grows the BCW group to in excess of 300 staff.

Carl Elston, executive director for Lotus Cars, said: “When we pioneered the use of extruded, anodised and bonded aluminium in the automotive industry, starting with the starting with the Lotus Elise in 1995, it was a technology that benefited from low volumes. Now, with our advanced new sub-assembly manufacturing operation in Norwich, our new assembly facility at our sports car HQ in Hethel, Norfolk, and with BCW’s help, we can increase our vehicle production volumes substantially.”

“I would like to thank the skilled Wellingborough team for their hard work, passion, dedication and enthusiasm over the years and wish them the very best for their future with BCW.

"They can all be proud of the fact that they contributed to the success of such iconic models as the Elise, Exige and Evora – and are already contributing to the success of the Lotus Emira.”