Jobs at Derbyshire car plant safeguarded by new Toyota model, hope workers

WORKERS at Toyota's Burnaston plant are hoping the launch of the new Avensis model will safeguard their jobs.

More than 4,000 people are employed at the Derbyshire factory and hundreds of them watched yesterday as the new model was unveiled by Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon.

About 2,000 of the firm's staff are directly involved in the production of the new Avensis, which goes on sale in January.

Mr Hoon, who was born in Derbyshire and was a Member of the European Parliament when Toyota first proposed moving to Burnaston, said the Government would do all it could to help firms cope during the recession.

He claimed the main way to boost flagging Derbyshire businesses was to increase consumer confidence – with proposals expected on Monday in the Chancellor's pre-budget report.

He said: "The industry is facing challenging times, but Toyota is a company that exemplifies excellent modern manufacturing. It is extremely important for the local economy.

"But companies like Toyota require consumers to have the confidence to go out and spend money.

"The Chancellor has that very high on his agenda, as you will see on Monday.

"The new investment represents a vital boost for local jobs and the regional economy.

"These are tough times for everyone. We need to play our part by rebuilding consumer confidence – that it the key thing for all businesses, including those in Derbyshire."

Rik Rasdall, of Littleover, was one of three Toyota employees picked to meet Mr Hoon. He has worked for the car firm for six years and is based on the final line, which is responsible for fitting the inside of each car.

The 29-year-old former Murray Park Community School student wrote a project about how Toyota would be good for Derbyshire's economy when he was just 11.

He said: "It's perhaps not the best time to be launching a new car, but it has taken years to get to this position. You can't just suddenly pull something like this. Everyone's anxious about job security, but working for Toyota we feel we are in a better position than anyone else. Hopefully the new model will give a huge boost to sales.

"I'm sure Toyota will do their utmost not to make redundancies, but you never know."

His thoughts were echoed by Phil Swift, who works in the plant's quality assurance department.

"There's been a lot of investment in the new model, we hope people buy it and help protect our jobs," he said.

This summer, Toyota announced it was temporarily suspending a shift on its Auris production line because of a fall in sales caused by the global credit crunch. It will remain suspended until March.

Toyota said the introduction of the third-generation Avensis would represent an annual spend of over £500m with suppliers in the UK.

Two Avensis body types will be produced at Burnaston, with Toyota setting a target of 115,000 European sales in the car's first year. Each car spends 20 hours on the production line. No prices have yet been revealed, although the basic model is expected to cost about £14,500.

Yesterday, rival Honda announced plans to halt production at its UK plant in Swindon for two months next year, after a slump in sales.

Tadashi Arashima, president of Toyota Europe, said it was the right time for the new model.

He said: "The business climate has changed very rapidly, making 2008 an extremely difficult year for car makers. The car market has become increasingly competitive. However, I am confident we will enter a new chapter of growth. I am convinced there is no better time for our new line-up to hit Europe."