Read more about NAA Update: You are invited to become a member of the NAA; Annual Dinner; SMMT Meet the Buyer event; more AMSCI funding; Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot]]> If you are receiving and reading this newsletter then I invite you to become a full member of the NAA. The only way that the NAA can continue to offer all of its services is by building its membership base

As we start to understand the implications of the reduction of funding for the Business Excellence Project, the end of funding on the Apprenticeship project and the start-up of two technical projects supporting consortia of companies, it is clear that to provide you with a continued service we need your membership monies, so if you haven’t joined the NAA, then please do so. This newsletter is packed full of the latest information of interest to NW automotive companies every month, but without increased membership, we will have to assess if items such as this newsletter continue in their current form
Download a membership application form here: http://www.nwautoalliance.com/about/become-a-member/

Annual Dinner
One of the benefits of being a member of the NAA is the unique networking opportunities offered by events such as the Annual Dinner. We are starting to plan the 2013 event, if you are interested in becoming a sponsor then please contact Zoe (zoe@nwautoalliance.com) and she will explain the range of options available to you.

SMMT Meet the Buyer event
It’s getting close to the SMMT Meet the Buyer event – have you registered your interest against the latest listing? Remember that there will be Tier 1 and VM buyers present on the day and as it is by invite only, you need to register – please do it now! Here’s the link:  http://www.smmt.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Commodities-master-demand-list_May-2013-v2_form.pdf

National Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI)
Similarly the submission date is approaching for round 3 of the National Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative, please get in touch with us if you need any assistance for this round, or if you need help in preparation for round 4 (due in October). Don’t forget that those of you in Liverpool have a local version of AMSCI that has no closing date, so get your application in as soon as you can.

Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot
A bid was submitted for the Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot by Performance Springs Ltd with NAA identified as the delivery partner. It will be July before we hear whether we have been successful and potentially January 2014 before we start delivering the project. I would like to thank all of the companies who have supported us for the submission of the bid and we will be in touch to have more detailed discussions if we are successful in July. The bid has three prime areas:

a) A business excellence style of competition to support your individual training needs within a company that you would normally have industry specialists deliver

b) An annual cohort of one year engineering interns for SMEs in the region

c) Coordination of schools liaison for companies, following up from the schools activity from within the Autohub project.

If any of these are of interest to you and you were not part of the original list of companies that showed interest in our bid then please contact either myself or Susan Butters to be included within the next round of submissions.

Carol Holden
Chief Executive

Read more about NAA Business Excellence Programme Update: Business Excellence Programme Extension Approaching Final Approval]]> I would like to take this opportunity to update you on the Business Excellence’s proposed extension July 2013 to June 2015.

It is now over a year ago that I met with the team at the European Regional Development Fund and in July 2012 I submitted the proposal for further funding. The ERDF team has been extremely supportive and in fact allowed us to use our existing monies to extend the project from December 2012 to June 2013, thus keeping the project live. As you may have gathered, the process has been long and arduous, but I believe that the programme is of importance to the automotive sector and definitely worth the effort.

The process of obtaining ERDF monies has become increasingly political and decisions are made from both a regional and local perspective. This meant that our project needed to be sold regionally and to the public sector across the five sub-regions. A decision was finally taken on 26 March to support our project (in principle) up to June 2015, which is fantastic. However, as ERDF funding has become extremely competitive ours and other projects have lower budgets than requested.  £1.1m has been earmarked for our project, which will be contracted once they are content with the deliverables and value for money (hopefully in May). This value is actually the same as previously awarded, so we can still make a difference to companies and add value. I am quietly confident that the monies will be awarded to us, although I will be required to work with considerably more businesses to obtain it.

From 1 July 2013, the Business Excellence programme will be once again fully operational and will be able to help companies make business improvements, network and promote themselves.

Contact Me
If you are interested in finding out more about the Business Excellence Programme, then please contact me. My email and telephone numbers are as follows: m.andrews@nwautoalliance.com, telephone 07870 812214 (direct mobile).

Martin Andrews

Read more about NAA Skills Update: Raising awareness of apprenticeships]]> A recent Times Higher Education article revealed that more than three quarters of recent university graduates were not given advice on apprenticeships or vocational training routes before leaving secondary education

The article was based on research carried out with 1,774 people who graduated in the last two years, 76% of whom said they were not informed about the alternatives to university before leaving school. Of these, 54% said they would have chosen an apprenticeship or vocational training route instead of their degree had they received better information.

The top reasons the graduates questioned would have chosen vocational training over university were to avoid debt (77%) and to gain a better position at work (61%). And, alarmingly, 31% said they were now in an industry for which their degree was “completely irrelevant”.

Autohub recently participated in a careers fair which was attended by Year 12 and Year 13 students (or sixth formers if you are an old dinosaur like me) with a specific interest in Higher Apprenticeships. They were all keen to further their qualifications beyond their school or college education but they wanted to do so by taking a vocational route rather than an academic one. The enthusiasm was immense and it confirmed the belief that many young people want to pursue Higher Apprenticeships.

Now, I am not saying that all students should take up apprenticeships rather than progressing to university, but what I am saying is that we all have a part to play in making not only students but also their teachers and parents aware that alternatives to university are available.

As some of you will already know, the NAA will shortly be sending out a leaflet aimed at making it easier for employers and schools to interact, so please keep an eye open for the skills section of next month’s newsletter which will cover this in more detail.

As always, I would be pleased to hear from you should you have any comments or queries.

Susan Butters
Project Manager, Autohub
Tel: 07815-284360
Email: s.butters@nwautoalliance.com

Read more about In the Driving Seat: Alex Robinson, Supply Chain Development Manager, SMMT]]> Alex Robinson, Supply Chain Development Manager, SMMT, seems to have two sides to him – by day, he helps the nation’s automotive companies; by night, he can be found running around London’s canal network

Name
Alex Robinson

Company
The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders Limited (SMMT)

Position
Supply Chain Development Manager

Association with NAA
As the national trade association for automotive, SMMT works with the NAA in partnership to further the automotive interests of companies based in the North West of England and support their development in the wider UK, Europe and globally. Recently SMMT and NAA jointly held a successful SME road show event on 7 March to provide support and assistance to companies based in the North West.

Personal
Having grown up in the North East, I now live in London and work at the SMMT offices based in the heart of Westminster.

Living in London is certainly an interesting place if you are not a native, with new and exciting events or activities to try on a weekly basis. Major recent highlights of London living would have to include the London Olympics, the opportunity to watch a whole host of events on the doorstep is something that will forever live with me.

In the main my personal interests have centered on sport, having played tennis competitively throughout my youth at a national level and I am also an avid football fan but in the main I tend to watch all sports with the Masters golf currently on while I write this! Since living in London I have taken up running in a big way, entering a series of 10k’s and half marathons. I have my first marathon this year in Edinburgh in May and it is very much a case of getting out on the canals most evenings which does help to relax you after a stressful day in the office.

Favourite football team
Newcastle United

Musical performer
James Blake

Movie
Good Bye Lenin!

Books
My Biography, Kevin Keegan

Best motoring moment
The sense of achievement when a company you have supported wins new business, secures government funding, or expands their workforce/facilities.

Best business advice you’ve ever received?
Network, network, network!

Read more about NAA Member Company Profile: TVS Supply Chain Solutions]]> TVS Supply Chain Solutions are specialists in receiving, processing and organising the flow of components and products for developers and manufacturers within the automotive, beverage, power generation and defence markets. The company looks after a range of inventory for its clients from raw materials and individual components to finished products and aftermarket spares

Today, the company operates from six bespoke centres across the UK together with a number of strategic facilities across Europe, Asia and the USA. TVS SCS is owned by TVS Logistics Investment, which is part of the $6bn TVS Group.

TVS SCS has a number of long-term partnerships with a range of OEMs such as Dennis Eagle, Optare, JCB and Isuzu, and the company also works with a number of Tier 1 suppliers to enable and facilitate the supply chain. TVS SCS proactively supports the provision of line feed and aftermarket parts for manufacturers of private, public and commercial vehicles. But the diversity of its service offering means it can just as easily help to extend the lifespan of MOD construction vehicles as provide Diageo with all their UK draught beer founts for Guinness.

Determined to be different, TVS SCS’s specialist services sets it apart as a market-leading 4PL provider. Its tailor-made options include: inventory management; funding and control; supplier management; warehousing; packaging; inbound and outbound transport and logistics; same day delivery; kitting; sequencing; IT software for planning and costing and client or consumer product literature.

In addition, TVS SCS also provides a comprehensive range of OE and aftermarket van parts through the Multipart and LDV brands.

Find out more at: www.tvsscs.com
Contacts:Martin Whittaker, Business Development Manager – Automotive
Martin.whittaker@tvsscs.com
T: 07973 711056

Siobhan Campbell, Marketing Manager UK and Europe
Siobhan.campbell@tvsscs.com
T: 07973 761485

Read more about Event Review: Niche Vehicle Network Symposium 2013]]> Car dashboards being replaced by iPads and a new UK Advanced Propulsion Centre were two of the ideas highlighted at the 2013 Niche Vehicle Network Symposium which took place on 19 March at the Heritage Centre at Gaydon

The Niche Vehicle Network is an independent association of over 100 niche vehicle manufacturers, specialist technology and supply chain companies. The Niche Vehicle R&D Programme provides support and grant funding to groups of companies active in the niche vehicle sector. It promotes the development and application of new technology to take advantage of the increasing market opportunities for lower carbon vehicles.

Quotes from the event:
“Because of the need to dramatically lower vehicle emissions over the coming years, we WILL need more hybrid and electric powertrains… Because of R&D timescales, the opportunity to develop the supply chain for the next generation of powertrains is NOW.”
Jerry Hardcastle, UK Automotive Council

“Emissions are driving everything.”
Andrew Haggie, Jaguar Land Rover

“The numbers of electric vehicles are only going to go one way – up.”
Neil Cheeseman, Zytek Automotive

Session 1: Stimulating Growth through Innovation
Chaired by David Keene, Chairman of the NVN Executive

Innovation in the UK Niche Sector – David Keene (NVN)
The event was opened by David Keene, Chairman of the Niche Vehicle Executive, who stressed that the UK’s 100 or so specialist vehicle manufacturers are developing many innovative ideas, and that innovation is a vital stimulus to economic growth.

Such vehicle manufacturers have traditionally worked in isolation, however the Technology Strategy Board, the ‘UK’s innovation agency’, has been a major force in encouraging collaboration, particularly through its low carbon vehicle innovation platform.

‘Sticky Technologies’ – Jerry Hardcastle (UK Automotive Council)
Jerry highlighted the current successful growth of the UK automotive industry. The Automotive Council, focused on encouraging investment in the UK, has helped the UK car industry to speak with one voice, and the passenger car technology road map developed by the Automotive Council has informed investment decisions.

Key programmes are now aligned with the roadmap, but if there’s one area to improve, it’s to ensure that, at a time when there is a particular focus on strengthening the UK supply chain, suppliers benefit from the current investment.

Because of the need to dramatically lower vehicle emissions over the coming years, we WILL need more hybrid and electric powertrains, but the OEM’s resources are too stretched to allow them enough time to develop new engineering solutions. So there is a significant opportunity for disruptive new low carbon technology – particularly for UK suppliers to develop this, possibly in conjunction with academic institutions, and for it to be adopted by OEMs in the UK. Because of R&D timescales, the opportunity to develop the supply chain for the next generation of powertrains is NOW, however all too often such innovative ideas end up in the ‘valley of death’ rather than being commercially adopted.

So is there a way to help universities and SMEs collaborate on low carbon technical developments that will enable the UK to seize global competitive advantage as traditional powertrains are displaced? Jerry thinks there is. He proposed the idea of an Advanced Propulsion Centre which would be a collaborative hothouse of academia and innovative companies working together on low carbon transport solutions. Jerry stressed that the Advanced Propulsion Centre is just a concept at this stage, but there is a limited window of opportunity to make it happen. Jerry, be warned that Green Car Guide will be following this story closely…

Low Carbon Vehicle Innovation Platform – Tim O’Brien (Technology Strategy Board)
Tim O’Brien explained that the TSB Low Carbon Innovation Platform had three goals:

• Supporting the UK automotive sector in terms of growth
• Accelerating the introduction of low carbon vehicles
• Reducing transport emissions (so meeting legislative requirements)

A total of £350 million has been invested during five years of collaborative low carbon vehicle projects, with areas such as vehicle efficiency and lightweighting being significant areas of focus.

Motorsport – A Powerful Force for Innovation – Chris Aylett (MIA)
Chris Aylett reminded the audience that energy efficiency is crucial in motorsport – races are won by people who are most efficient. Motorsport engineering companies have to be experts in the efficient use of energy, they have to be innovative, and they have to deliver fast solutions – in other words they may be ideal to help solve the problems of OEMs who need assistance with increasing efficiency.

This existing pool of expertise could be ideal at a time when the UK needs more UK suppliers at certain technology readiness levels. However motorsport engineering companies are not known to OEMs and so Chris offered to facilitate a ‘Meet the Buyer’ event for OEMs and motorsport companies.
Read our review of the 2013 Motorsport Industry Association Cleaner Racing Conference: http://www.green-car-guide.com/the-future-of-efficient-motorsport-–-latest-developments-show-that-progress-is-accelerating.html

Session 2: Lightweight Vehicle Structures & Materials
Chaired by Nick Carpenter, Technical Director of Delta Motorsport

The Lightest Structural Metal in Automotive – Martyn Alderman (Magnesium Elektron)
Martyn Alderman promoted the benefits of magnesium alloys. Magnesium offers considerable weight savings, yet it’s 18 times stiffer than steel. Magnesium is currently used in the auto industry, including in applications such as BMW’s six-cylinder petrol engine block, and issues such as joining and corrosion are being addressed.

Composite Materials in the Automotive Industry – Chris Taylor (FAR-UK)
Chris highlighted that cars have to get lighter and that it’s actually easy to reduce weight through using materials such as carbon fibre – there are plenty of examples in aerospace and motorsport – but this comes at a cost, and it’s easier to absorb such costs when selling supercars rather than volume cars.

Aluminium – Lightweight Material of the Future – Andrew Haggie (Jaguar Land Rover)
Andrew said that emissions are driving everything, and all manufacturers are looking at alternative powertrains, in line with the Automotive Council roadmap. Despite the overall increasing focus on low carbon cars, globally there is an increasing demand from customers for big cars that go anywhere. Hence the new Range Rover, the world’s first all-aluminium SUV, which is 39%, or 180Kg, lighter than the steel equivalent. JLR challenged its suppliers with the new Range Rover, and the company is looking at opportunities with composites, however such materials are expensive. Aluminium is very energy intensive to manufacture – a big issue at a time when full lifecycle carbon footprinting is becoming more important – but the company is looking to incorporate more recycled material into aluminium.

Titanium – From Exotic to Niche – Phil Squance (Caged Laser Engineering)
Phil Squance explained the benefits of titanium – it’s strong, light, and has a high fatigue limit, but it’s also very difficult to work with. The company set itself a challenge to make the chassis for an Ariel Atom out of titanium. This proved to be extremely difficult, but it found a way to achieve it, and the result was on show at the event.

Session 3: Low Carbon Vehicle Technologies
Chaired by Jon Horsley, Lead Technologist, Technology Strategy Board

Advances in Electric Vehicle Technologies – Neil Cheeseman (Zytek Automotive)
Neil talked about advances in electric vehicle technologies and said that due to legislation the numbers of electric vehicles are only going to go one way – up. Although sales in the UK have been relatively slow so far, lots of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles have been sold worldwide. The performance of electric vehicles isn’t an issue – recently an electric Audi R8 e-tron set a record around the Nurburgring for a production vehicle with an electric powertrain – only 4 seconds slower than its petrol-engined equivalent. At the other end of the scale, the electric Gordon Murray Design T27 has one of the most efficient drive systems of any vehicle. Neil believed that in the 1980s technology in motorsport accelerated the uptake of similar advances in road cars, but that came to an end. Today, this may be happening again, at the same time as cost reduction is becoming more of a priority.

The Future of the Electric Motorcycle – Lawrence Marazzi (Agility Global)Lawrence looked at personal transportation and saw a future that involved increased enjoyment and improved capability. He believes that enhanced enjoyment is increasingly important because many consumers don’t see any difference in capabilities between different vehicles. He predicts that styling will have to connect, inspire and evoke a strong emotional response, and that engineering will have to create experiences, leading to a future with increased emotional connection between people and vehicles.

EV Blue – iPad Vehicle Electronic Control – Paul Faithfull (Potenza Technology)
A presentation that could lead to a real change in the auto industry was about EV Blue, an iPad Vehicle Electronic Control. The idea is that the dashboard of your car will be replaced by an iPad, which will feature all of the vehicle’s main controls. It will also mean that the car will have no wiring, one of the most complex systems on a modern vehicle.

This will be achieved by using ‘ZigBee’ wireless communications technology, which is used in buildings. The system is fast, and also lightweight – it saves 34% compared to a 10Kg wiring loom, and some looms – such as on the new Range Rover – are considerably heavier, weighing in at around 70-80Kg. The project is also developing its own vehicle, based on the all-electric iRacer, which will showcase the EV Blue technology.

Session 4: Building Successful and Iconic Brands
Chaired by John Wood, ex Managing Director, MIRA

Morgan – Back to the Future – Tim Whitworth (Morgan Motor Company)
Over recent times the 104-year old Morgan Motor Company has grown from £9m to £40m turnover. It’s brought back the three-wheeler and has also developed the Morgan Plus E, a pure EV. The plan is for the future to involve new lightweight materials and more EV development.

Bluebird Electric – Martin Rees (Bluebird Electric)
Martin from Bluebird Electric talked about ambitious plans to use the land speed record-breaking Bluebird heritage to develop an electric sports car and a track day car, as well as competing in the new Formula E series and aiming to set a new electric land speed record.

Evolution of the Caterham Brand – Scott Thompson (Caterham Technology
Scott Thompson talked about the 2011 investment into Caterham by the owners of Air India. This provided a foundation to develop the future business objectives of Caterham to focus on:

1. Motorsport on a global basis
2. Vehicle manufacturing
3. Being an engineering service provider

Recently Caterham has only produced around 500 vehicles per year, but the desire is to increase this to 1000’s, as well as improving the usability of its vehicles. There’s also a new project, a joint venture company with Renault to build a new sports car.

The Ariel Atom Story – Simon Saunders (Ariel Motor Company)
Simon Saunders charted the history of Ariel, which was originally a company that built motorcycles, bikes and cars, and the Ariel name was resurrected in the 1990s, even though there was no link with the original business. Simon was keen to stress that Ariel operates in areas where major manufacturers don’t have an interest, as the company knows what it can and can’t do. He also reminded the audience that the Atom, a car from a small UK manufacturer, spent two years at the top of the Top Gear lap times board…

Summary
The Niche Vehicle Network Symposium showed that there is life in the UK automotive industry outside of the foreign-owned major manufacturers. The low carbon agenda is a major influence in virtually all the Niche Vehicle Network projects. If small UK companies and consortiums can find solutions to low carbon challenges, the trick is to avoid the much-quoted ‘valley of death’ and instead get their ideas adopted by the OEMs. To grow sustainably and to sell ideas to larger companies, access to finance is usually required, and in many cases this still seems to be a key challenge.

Paul Clarke

Other Green Car Guide low carbon conference reviews:

Motorsport Industry Association Cleaner Racing Conference 2013

http://www.green-car-guide.com/the-future-of-efficient-motorsport-–-latest-developments-show-that-progress-is-accelerating.html

Cenex LCV2012 Event Review
http://www.green-car-guide.com/cenex-lcv2012-event-review.html

LowCVP Conference 2012
http://www.green-car-guide.com/lowcvp-conference-2012-review-from-low-to-ultra-low-emission-vehicles-–-a-business-opportunity-.html

Cenex Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Conference 2011
http://www.green-car-guide.com/hevc—the-future-of-hybrid-and-electric-vehicles.html

Read more about Member News: Bentley Factory Goes Green With The UK’s Largest Roof-Top Solar Installation]]> Bentley is to install the UK’s largest roof top solar panel system; 20,000 panels on the factory roof in Crewe will generate up to 40% of Bentley’s energy requirements and reduce CO2 usage by 2000 tonnes per year

Bentley Motors has announced that it is installing the UK’s largest roof-mounted solar panel system. The installation will be owned and operated by Lightsource Renewable Energy Limited, the UK’s leading solar energy generator.

Over 20,000 solar panels with a capacity of 5MW are being fixed to the roof of Bentley’s factory in Crewe, making use of 3.45 hectares of roof space which would otherwise be unutilised. The array will generate enough energy to power over 1,200 households and is three times more powerful than the current largest roof-mounted system in the UK.

It is anticipated that at peak generation times, the system will produce up to 40% of Bentley’s energy requirements and reduce CO2 usage by over 2,500 tonnes per year.

Michael Straughan, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Manufacturing said: “Unlikely as it may seem, our 1940s plant in Crewe is ideally situated to generate solar power as the “saw tooth” factory roofs are south facing at an angle of 20 degrees.

“We take the sustainability of our products and factory extremely seriously and we are always looking for ways to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency. The panels will reduce our energy costs and help ensure that our manufacturing operations in Crewe are efficient, sustainable and globally competitive.”

Nick Boyle, CEO of Lightsource, said: “The installation on Bentley’s factory demonstrates the tremendous potential for solar energy in the UK and is a fantastic example of how businesses can gain greater pricing certainty for the future whilst reducing their carbon footprint. It is also remarkable what can be achieved in a short space of time and with no adverse impact on existing business activity.”

Read more about Member News: Awards for Bentley, Jaguar Land Rover and Vauxhall]]> Bentley and Vauxhall both receive Britain’s Top Employers Award 2013, while Jaguar Land Rover has been recognised with the highest ranking in Business in the Community’s (BITC) annual benchmark of responsible business management

Bentley Motors’ reputation for offering a first class workplace environment with high quality training and development opportunities has been recognised with its selection as one of Britain’s Top Employers for 2013 for the second year running.

The Top Employers report, compiled by the CRF Institute, recognises Bentley’s dedication to personal development, working environment and employee culture for the 4,000 colleagues who work at Bentley.

This award follows a global growth of 22% in 2012 with 8,510 deliveries to customers, an incredible year for Bentley’s sales which has been attributed to the highly skilled, dedicated and passionate workforce present at Bentley Motors.

A recent Apprenticeship Open Day held at the company’s headquarters in Crewe also saw a high interest, with attendance from more than 700 people. Attendees at Bentley’s Apprenticeship Open Day, held on March 16th, all had the opportunity to speak to current Apprentices and discover more about the scheme and its benefits. Bentley Motors currently employs 66 Apprentices across the company, all working in a variety of areas including Engineering, Marketing, PR, Manufacturing and HR. The Open Day was held to mark National Apprentice Week which is organised by the National Apprenticeship Service to celebrate the positive impact that Apprenticeships have on both individuals and companies across the UK.

Vauxhall Motors has also been accredited as one of Britain’s Top Employers for the last three years, coming in the top 10 for the second year running in the 2013 Awards. Based on independent research conducted by the CRF Institute, Vauxhall Motors offers its employees outstanding working conditions and looks after its staff exceptionally well.

The CRF Institute, a specialist in the field of international research into HR management and working conditions, has just completed this year’s research into the HR policies and practices of a large number of employers in Britain. Vauxhall Motors is one of the few organisations that received the Britain’s Top Employers 2013 certification.

The organisations examined were assessed on the following criteria: Primary Benefits, Secondary Benefits and Working Conditions, Training and Development, Career Development, and Culture Management. Only those organisations that met the stringent research criteria received the Britain’s Top Employers certification.

Meanwhile Jaguar Land Rover has been recognised with the highest ranking in Business in the Community’s (BITC) annual benchmark of responsible business management, the Corporate Responsibility Index (CR Index).

The CR Index is the UK’s leading and most in-depth voluntary benchmark of corporate responsibility. It helps companies accurately measure and manage all aspects of their social and environmental performance, shape how they integrate and improve corporate responsibility throughout their business operations and benchmark themselves against competitors.

Jaguar Land Rover has achieved a Platinum Big Tick, a new banding in the Index for 2013 designed to challenge leading companies on topics such as their long-term planning and the unique contribution their business can make to create transformational change and a sustainable economy.

This is the fifth consecutive year Jaguar Land Rover has achieved an improved rating since it first participated in the CR Index in 2009. The announcement was made during BITC’s Responsible Business Week, a UK-wide initiative introduced to raise public awareness of the powerful, positive role of business in society.

Read more about Member News: Vauxhall Cars wins ACPO future technology challenge]]> The Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, British-built and converted in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire and Millbrook, Bedfordshire, wins the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) future technology challenge, playing a part in securing Police fleet dominance for Vauxhall with 70 per cent market share

A crime-busting Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, installed with Facewatch and other leading edge technology, has won a challenge from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to find a way of incorporating future technology into a Police car.

The British-built Astra Sports Tourer, featuring three computers, is armed with Facewatch, forensics and facial-recognition software plus several high-quality cameras able to record activity around the vehicle. This CCTV footage can be streamed on-the-move and uploaded to Facewatch, the online crime database.  Facewatch also provides instant feeds of crimes reported through the system as they happen, including moving CCTV footage and images of suspects.

This special Astra Sports Tourer is the Police car for the iPhone generation with witness of crime photography collected via 3G connectivity. The vehicle is also equipped with software that predicts future crime hotspots.

A sophisticated black box, equipment that’s usually only found in aircraft, collects data on the Astra including speed, location and miles per gallon amongst numerous others. Officers are also able to dock Toughbook laptops and rugged smart phones.

To push the crime-fighting technology on even further, Vauxhall formed a consortium with specialist firms including Daetech Systems, TetraTAB, Airmax Group, Innaxys, Trans-tag, Kelvin Connect, Civica, Videolatitude, Imagebase and Facewatch.

Police fleet market leaders Vauxhall produced the base vehicle at their facility in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire and carried out the special conversion at their base at Millbrook Proving Ground, Bedfordshire.

This vehicle exceeds Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Bernard Hogan-Howe’s directives for the police car to be the mobile office, so police are always out in the field rather than back at the station.

It’s the second year running that Police fleet market leaders have won ACPO’s challenge after romping to victory with a futuristic Ampera extended-range electric vehicle last year.