Dannyson
Member Since: 14 Oct 2014
Location: Newquay, Cornwall
Posts: 820
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This Friday built car thingy has been going on since the early 1970's ...... is there any evidence to show its not just an 'urban myth'? ..... or more likely just lack of faith in UK builds....  2016MY Discovery HSE - Black
2009MY Toyota Land Cruiser (Lc4) - Black
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 20th Jun 2015 10:38 pm |
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Red Merle
Member Since: 30 Aug 2014
Location: Liskeard
Posts: 7441
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Considering Solihull works three shifts, 5 days a week, with a further 12 hours on both Saturday and Sunday, then there really isn't a working week for there to be an end of.
The idea of a "Friday car" is probably a bit of an anachronism! 2011 - 2015: 3 x FL2
2015 - 2017: 2 x D4
2017 to date: FFRR SDV8
2023 to date: 2 x FL2 as “second” cars 🙄
2021 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200
2022 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200 & sidecar!
(One of only two known to exist in the world!)
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| 20th Jun 2015 10:40 pm |
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Dannyson
Member Since: 14 Oct 2014
Location: Newquay, Cornwall
Posts: 820
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Do they still close down for summer holidays....? ...or is this another myth? 2016MY Discovery HSE - Black
2009MY Toyota Land Cruiser (Lc4) - Black
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| 20th Jun 2015 10:43 pm |
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Red Merle
Member Since: 30 Aug 2014
Location: Liskeard
Posts: 7441
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Some plants still do for sure. It's usually a time when the production facilities are shut down for long enough to make major changes that can't be done around the regular 24 hour shift patterns and weekend working. It's one reason why new models often come out in the Autumn...
I've toured quite a few plants in the UK - starting with Austin Rover in the mid '80's at Cowley, but more recently BMW/MINI at Cowley (several times), Triumph at Hinckley (once to each of the UK plants), Land Rover at Halewood and Jaguar at Castle Bromwich. For an odd contrast, I'm even booked in at Morgan in August! The insides of these plants would be almost unrecognisable to the average 70's worker - with the possible exception of the press shop at Halewood!
It's well worth touring a few UK car plants - there are a lot of misunderstandings about working practices and the nature of what's actually done in the plants. Since having done these tours, I've been a lot happier to spend my own money on what comes out of them  2011 - 2015: 3 x FL2
2015 - 2017: 2 x D4
2017 to date: FFRR SDV8
2023 to date: 2 x FL2 as “second” cars 🙄
2021 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200
2022 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200 & sidecar!
(One of only two known to exist in the world!)
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| 20th Jun 2015 10:56 pm |
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Dannyson
Member Since: 14 Oct 2014
Location: Newquay, Cornwall
Posts: 820
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 Wow! .... serious 'petrol head' ..... are you not in the trade? ..... maybe you should be...  2016MY Discovery HSE - Black
2009MY Toyota Land Cruiser (Lc4) - Black
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| 20th Jun 2015 11:04 pm |
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Red Merle
Member Since: 30 Aug 2014
Location: Liskeard
Posts: 7441
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Serious Petrol Head? Tell me about it! 
I don't think I'd want to do it for a living, quite happy as a hobby! Seriously though, grab a factory visit and see what you make of it. Solihull could be good....
https://shop.landrover.com/driving-experie...r-solihull 2011 - 2015: 3 x FL2
2015 - 2017: 2 x D4
2017 to date: FFRR SDV8
2023 to date: 2 x FL2 as “second” cars 🙄
2021 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200
2022 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200 & sidecar!
(One of only two known to exist in the world!)
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| 20th Jun 2015 11:13 pm |
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Dannyson
Member Since: 14 Oct 2014
Location: Newquay, Cornwall
Posts: 820
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You should have a PM.... 2016MY Discovery HSE - Black
2009MY Toyota Land Cruiser (Lc4) - Black
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| 20th Jun 2015 11:31 pm |
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DG
Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50978
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Been around Solihull 3 times ..Gaydon and recently i54
Helps you understand the wheat from the chaff views and comments  21 year LR veteran > D2 GS 2003 > D3 S 2006 > D3 HSE 2009 > D4 HSE 2013 > D4 HSE 2015 > D5 HSE 2018 > DS HSE R-Dynamic P300e 2021
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| 20th Jun 2015 11:56 pm |
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ste m
Member Since: 13 Apr 2015
Location: Liverpool
Posts: 129
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Dannyson wrote: But the people looking after them do...... 
Thats my job haha, in the old days you could say this not now though i work 4 on 4 off so no such thing as weekends any more haha
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| 21st Jun 2015 2:18 am |
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ste m
Member Since: 13 Apr 2015
Location: Liverpool
Posts: 129
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Dannyson wrote:Do they still close down for summer holidays....? ...or is this another myth?
Yes they still have a production shut down, it would be impossible to manage 9000 peoples holidays otherwise, maintenance still work all year though
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| 21st Jun 2015 2:19 am |
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ste m
Member Since: 13 Apr 2015
Location: Liverpool
Posts: 129
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Red Merle wrote:Some plants still do for sure. It's usually a time when the production facilities are shut down for long enough to make major changes that can't be done around the regular 24 hour shift patterns and weekend working. It's one reason why new models often come out in the Autumn...
I've toured quite a few plants in the UK - starting with Austin Rover in the mid '80's at Cowley, but more recently BMW/MINI at Cowley (several times), Triumph at Hinckley (once to each of the UK plants), Land Rover at Halewood and Jaguar at Castle Bromwich. For an odd contrast, I'm even booked in at Morgan in August! The insides of these plants would be almost unrecognisable to the average 70's worker - with the possible exception of the press shop at Halewood!
It's well worth touring a few UK car plants - there are a lot of misunderstandings about working practices and the nature of what's actually done in the plants. Since having done these tours, I've been a lot happier to spend my own money on what comes out of them
Haha i work at the press shop in Halewood, how long ago did you do the tour?
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| 21st Jun 2015 2:21 am |
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Biffysun
Member Since: 09 Jul 2011
Location: Central
Posts: 1790
  
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Red Merle wrote:The idea of a "Friday car" is probably a bit of an anachronism!
mmhh had to look that up
noun
1.
something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time:
I'm sure that does apply to the car as it defo applies to me!
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| 21st Jun 2015 6:20 am |
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Red Merle
Member Since: 30 Aug 2014
Location: Liskeard
Posts: 7441
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ste m wrote:Haha i work at the press shop in Halewood, how long ago did you do the tour?
No offence intended there ste m!
That would either have been late 2011 or, more likely, summer 2012. It seems that pressings are quote often done elsewhere away from the main factory now (for instance, the presses were certainly there at Austin Rover in the 1980's, but BMW moved them off site for MINI production).
Is it true that those presses really date back to the early Ford (Anglia) days at the plant? I'd certainly hate to ever have to move them!
John. 2011 - 2015: 3 x FL2
2015 - 2017: 2 x D4
2017 to date: FFRR SDV8
2023 to date: 2 x FL2 as “second” cars 🙄
2021 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200
2022 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200 & sidecar!
(One of only two known to exist in the world!)
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| 21st Jun 2015 7:49 am |
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Red Merle
Member Since: 30 Aug 2014
Location: Liskeard
Posts: 7441
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Biffysun wrote:Red Merle wrote:The idea of a "Friday car" is probably a bit of an anachronism!
mmhh had to look that up
noun
1.
something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time:
I'm sure that does apply to the car as it defo applies to me!
2011 - 2015: 3 x FL2
2015 - 2017: 2 x D4
2017 to date: FFRR SDV8
2023 to date: 2 x FL2 as “second” cars 🙄
2021 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200
2022 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200 & sidecar!
(One of only two known to exist in the world!)
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| 21st Jun 2015 7:51 am |
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ste m
Member Since: 13 Apr 2015
Location: Liverpool
Posts: 129
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Red Merle wrote:ste m wrote:Haha i work at the press shop in Halewood, how long ago did you do the tour?
No offence intended there ste m!
That would either have been late 2011 or, more likely, summer 2012. It seems that pressings are quote often done elsewhere away from the main factory now (for instance, the presses were certainly there at Austin Rover in the 1980's, but BMW moved them off site for MINI production).
Is it true that those presses really date back to the early Ford (Anglia) days at the plant? I'd certainly hate to ever have to move them!
John.
No offence taken haha.
Yes some of the lines are over 50 years old, nothing wrong with them though, the automation side has changed, back in the early days it was by hand then a system called volvo loaders but now its mainly robots, the newest line we have is just over a year old and we are due another one in the next year or two. To put these in contrast I used to run a line that would make the bodysides for the Evoque and Freelander, on a good day it would take 90 minutes to set the line for a job and then I could get it running at roughly 260 panels and hour, the new line making the disco sport bodysides can set up in 9 minutes and then run at 570 and hour.
Yes the press shop is old but the thing is presses don't change a lot, the ones a refer to above are the big ones, these press at over 1000 tons, the smaller ones are much faster and you can't really justify putting new lines in as they won't gain much. Although our presses are old they are very very well looked after.
As for moving them we have a machine thats brought in thats called a MEGA LIFT, this thing is huge but even then we will break the press down into different parts. There are some lines that are due to go as they're not used any more, the mega lift will be brought in for this.
Halewood is the biggest press shop out of the JLR family btw
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| 21st Jun 2015 11:30 pm |
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