China Car Times

Mr McGeachy was the winning bidder on the tour of MG UK’s factory, Longbridge. Mr McGeachy finally got the chance to visit Longbridge, and his report (and photos!) are as follows:

This report was originally posted on the MG-Rover fan website, MG-Rover.org.

Hi folks,

As promised here is the trip report, before I go on, here’s my disclaimer: remember I’m a MG TF 03 owner, I don’t know all the history and I’m not a mechanic, I may have learned news that you already know or information that makes you think so what - so we went as an adventure for us and here’s what we did. I’m not a journalist either!!!

Last time I posted (MG/TF forum) we’d just set off in the TF from Celbridge, County Kildare (just West of Dublin) with a first stop to the Car wash and a check of the tyre pressure etc. 19 miles to the Ferry port (Weather great so hood down) and set off to Holyhead – smooth sailing and we arrive on time, a drive to Chester for lunch and down the A41 to Birmingham. By the way, the photos might not do it justice, but the cleaning job my lad Niall did was outstanding, dash, glass, alloys – it looked great.

We stayed at the Bromsgrove Hilton, and what I didn’t tell any of you guys is that our stay at the hotel was paid for by Gary Hagen (Sales and Marketing Director of NAC MG) so when I said hospitality was evident up front, I wasn’t exaggerating, I’ll be honest I was speechless with this as this wasn’t expected or anticipated, I was going to be honoured with an exciting adventure with my son, we don’t spend as much time together so sharing an interest in cars and a road trip to MG was going to be the major deal for us.

Ok, get on with it you say, but I’m going to take my time as I think I’ll remember more and I’m not sure if people understand the strength of the team behind this project of car manufacturing returning to Longbridge in the shape of a MG TF and potential future products.
I work in the Electronics game, and I’ve seen industries come and go in Scotland and Ireland and when the bottom line is under pressure - it’s easy to go, and I can see the similarity of if with vehicle manufacturing, so a car being built in the UK is pretty huge in that context and one we shouldn’t take lightly. (I think UK dealers have ear marked over 350 of the 500 pre production) which may seem small but I truly believe this is only the beginning.

We arrived on time to the NAC MG site where we met the senior team, the Chairman, Managing director Richard Ji who (along with Paul Stowe) was behind this trip, Eleanor De la Haye, Gary Egan the Business Services manager and my link throughout this Gary Hagen MG NAC Sales and Marketing Director. I have to tell you, I’ve worked in business for many a year and I was taken a back with the hospitality afforded us, we were two visitors who won a charity auction, which was worthwhile to support the Red Cross care for victims of the recent Earthquake in a region of China which I also have work colleagues.
Before lunch (fabulous spread including Sushi – how they knew this was a favourite of mine I don’t know) I was presented with a replica MG TC Midget by the chairman, I was suitably embarrassed if not a little chuffed.

Gary Egan who has been an employee of the site since 1976 was our host for the tour answered every question and took us to every area of the facility I requested of him, I’d asked during lunch about photography and was told basically to fill my boots and feel free to take pics of anything, I hope we don’t disappoint, but please note the current state we observed is consolidation and readiness for manufacture – it may look bare to now, but in weeks to come I hope this will have more obvious signs of manufacturing.

We started at the showroom area to see immaculate models of MG’s from the midget, MGF the Queens’s MG TF (I wonder what user name she uses in the forum) to the MG MG based on the rover 75.

Then into the auditorium area, including the office of Lord Austin to the press launch areas with rotating stages for 3 models.

The area of Longbridge and the history from the World wars to now is amazing, I won’t try and summarize it here to you experts as I know it’s readily available on web and in books.

The paint shop is so sterile and ready to go (I think this particular area was ear marked for the Mini before BMW did the dirty), repainted and with just a few models going by – a large empty oven screaming out for maybe 2 or 4 cars, which was a shame, but again before the end of the year they hope to grow from the 240 employees today to around 400. I hope this is seen as beneficial to the area around Longbridge, I’m sure any inward investment in this area will mean a great deal.

Around the facility and into the production floor the TF line is being prepared, ready for launch and talking with the Manufacturing manager, who I teased due to his clean overalls, I just know he wants to get covered in grease and oil, they are working with their Chinese colleagues to ensure success, built on the Nanjing launch and one thing I was happy to see is that they are adopting some lean systems, such as materials will be moved to the area of work so no shortages will occur and a Check Act Do board is in place. Fingers crossed a little Japanese methodology will aid this Chinese/UK project.

A visit to an area where some older vehicles have been kept for engineering works, they didn’t bite with my suggestion that the Alloys on the crash test TF be swapped for mine…

When you think that this place had a peak of 40,000 employees seeing it like this is strange a new beginning or journey for sure, but there is an eerie feeling that this place has so many stories to tell. They are consolodating the area to a mere 96 acres from the current Longbridge footprint… the locals want to see the older area developed into a nicer shopping area etc.

I’d never seen as many Rovers or MG’s around this area, showing what an influence this place had on the locals, how many employees families took advantage of lower cost purchasing benefits to result in this? An amazing legacy.

In part II I’ll concentrate on the new LE 500.

Many thanks Gerry & Niall.