1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152 
ERF ends tractor building in UK
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by ruby Clark ERF is to end mainstream UK vehicle manufacturing after almost 70 years, Production of the ECX and ECS ranges at Middlewich will end in July, while a new model (to be unveiled at the Commercial Vehicle Show next month) will be built at plants in Germany and Austria belonging to its parent company MAN.
The move means the loss of at least 200 jobs—half the workforce at Middlewich, already cut from 750 last September—and the end of the composite-cab ERF.
According to MAN, the move "will substantially improve competitiveness" and was prompted by the discovery of accounting irregularities last year which indicated that the firm was suffering "heavy and unacceptable losses".
Some production may remain at Middlewich; if ERF launches its low-entry municipal chassis at the NEC it is likely to he built in Cheshire.
Despite the blow to UK manufacturing, ERF operators and
dealers remain unfazed by the move. Peter Newman, general manager of Scunthorpe operator Ciugston Distribution, has just bought 15 ECX tractors. He says: "It's not a surprise— there's a fair amount of MAN in the vehicle already. When I purchase trucks I just look at what's on the market and get the best deal."
Gary Mullaney, boss of West Midlands-based ERF distributor Aquila, says: "It's really very sad for the people at Middlewich but it secures the future of a lot more people. As a dealer network we're talking, building and getting on—we've got a great. strong network."
Mullaney is unperturbed about the new range—based on MAN cabs and components with Cummins engines—appealing to traditional customers: "It's not worrying me that much. There's a lot of people making a fuss about British engineering, but that doesn't stop them buying Scanias and Dafs. The new product will be ultimately better engineered and built."