Jaguar Land Rover has invested £45 million in a new ‘state of the art’ servo press line from Aida Engineering at its Halewood plant in the UK. Said to be the first of its kind to be built in the UK, the press line is 13m tall and over 85m long, with a combined press stamping capacity of 7,900 tonnes.

Compared to the more mechanical operation of the existing presses at Halewood, the direct-drive servo system can handle higher tonnages and work at higher speeds, allowing Halewood to increase the volume of stamped parts for use right across Jaguar Land Rover. The new line also uses less power and incorporates an energy recovery system. The design of the Aida press also allows for faster die changes — under 5min, compared to up to 55min for the largest mechanical press line.

The automotive manufacturer said that it had to carry out a major reconfiguration of its facility to accommodate the new press line, including raising the roof of the building and expanding the press-shop bay. Trial pressing this month will be followed by production stamping of panels in the summer.

Richard Else, operations director at Halewood, said: “This colossal new press line reinforces our long-term investment in UK manufacturing. Halewood is one of the most
advanced automotive manufacturing facilities in Europe, producing two of the highest-quality, largest-selling Jaguar Land Rover vehicles and exporting them to over 170 countries world-wide. This investment ensures that we can make more panels even more efficiently.”

More than £230 million has been invested in Halewood since 2011. Around 4,500 people work at the plant, which is currently operating at full capacity, 24hr a day — for the first time in its 50-year history.