Volvo to close Workington
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/ Volvo Bus is to close its assembly plant at Workington over the next eight months resulting in the death of the Leyland Lynx integral single-deck city bus and the double-deck body for its Leyland Olympian double-decker.
According to Volvo the move signals its complete withdrawal from UK bus bodybuilding to concentrate solely on PCV chassis production. All production of the Olympian double-decker and Volvo BlOM chassis will eventually be transferred to the Volvo Trucks assembly plant at Irvine in Scotland. Workington's bodybuilding activities will be wound down by the end of the first quarter next year and the chassis transfer completed by July.
Volvo says that with the UK market having fallen by 50% it is making "substantial" losses. And as there is no sign of an up-turn in the foreseeable future, production must be moved to Irvine to maintain viable bus chassis production in Britain, Volvo says. Workington has an annual capacity of 1,500 chassis and 600 bodies; but this year it will build 550 chassis and just 100 bodies.
Around 370 jobs will be lost at Workington, including 264 on bodies, and 50 jobs will be created at Irvine immediately. The facilities being put in at Irvine will maintain the chassis capacity of 1,500 a year. Irvine will get the new B6 midi chassis, which is expected to go into build next spring. Bus building is not new to Irvine — it was used for PCVs before Volvo acquired Leyland Bus.
Volvo denies that the closure has any link with the commercial vehicle joint venture with Renault Vehicules Industriels, in which bus co-operation is moving ahead more quickly than truck integration.