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Lean operation best suited to the Eighties
Page 96
Page 97
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PERHAPS predictably David Abel of Leyland Vehicles extolled T45 and flew the flag rather than looking at the overall scene. Anyone in the commercialehicle industry who believes
at the next 12 months are !cling to be significantly brighter han the gloom period we are ving through now must be an iptimist.
The facts are that road trans)ort is one of the few reliable )arometers of the national ecotomy. At times of crisis it is the irst industry to suffer and the ast to recover. And few obJervers see a recovery until well nto 1981.
So what does this mean for )perators and manufacturers?
For operators, pressure on :osts has become intense and ow-running costs, reliability, 3asy availability of spare parts )re now vital.
At Leyland Vehicles we recoglise this and all our efforts are Jevoted to providing the best cv 3t the best price with the best aack-up.
The T45 range — the first -node's of which, Roadtrain and constructor, have already been launched — embodies these principles. You only design a new cv cab once every 15 years or so and the design decisions just have to be right.
Ten months of 1980 makes me even more glad that we opted for the highly efficient shape of the design award-winning C40 cab and are not stuck, like some of our competitors, with slabsided gas-guzzling monsters.
But T45 is not a flash in an otherwise empty pan. For a start, the T45 range will ultimately replace all our cv models down to 16 tons and beyond. We are developing sophisticated facilities for making and proving our vehicles and for ensuring they are fully supported in the market place.
All of these are part of our unrivalled £350m development plan which is going ahead without any interruption, despite the current short-term effects of the recession.
11 1980 has been a year of real achievement at Leyland Vehicles 1981 will see no reduction in that advance. We have more exciting new models in the T45 range to announce as well as significant new models for our passenger vehicle customers too.
All this UK activity will be backed by equally exciting actions elsewhere. T45 will be launched in six European markets in 1981, and there will be some really worthwhile developments in our European service network which will benefit all TIR operators of Leyland trucks and coaches. Outside Europe, 1981 will also see more new product announcements. The heavy-duty Landtrain bonneted export truck which we announced this year will be joined by an all-new lighter weight bonneted vehicle, code-named T68.
As you can see 1981, like 1980, will be a further period of development for Leyland Vehicles. This development is crucial to our company's continued success.
The new models, produced in efficient new facilities, will, we believe, be critical to the continued success of many of our customers.
During 1980 you have seen perhaps surprising evidence of the new vigour at Leyland — whether it be in our highly successful Grand Prix car or the Roadshows now touring the country.
This "New Look" is more than skin deep, and reflects a rebirth of Leyland Vehicles into a lean operation well suited to the rigours of the Eighties.
If the current economic situation has any benefits, it is to force inefficiencies out of British industry. We believe we are now well placed to climb out of the recession to a brighter future.
Many of our customers in the lorry and bus business are also going through this painful regeneration process. Together we can achieve considerable benefits in what will be a very tough world.