On Friday 7 April, Maggie Throup, MP for Erewash, visited Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd at their vehicle manufacturing plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire.
The visit was part of Maggie’s Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) Fellowship exploring manufacturing in the Midlands region. During the visit, Maggie was given a full tour of the Burnaston facility and their on-site Academy and Apprentice Development Centre.
On arrival, Maggie was met by Tony Walker, Deputy Managing Director at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Ltd where she received an overview of the plant and was given a presentation on Toyota’s current operations in the UK. After putting on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Maggie was guided around the Toyota Academy. She was accompanied by Nick Freeman, Assistant General Manager of Corporate Planning and External Affairs and Helen Hydes, Section Manager of External Affairs. The Academy hosts apprentices and staff from across Toyota’s vehicle operations, including manufacturing, sales, after sales and marketing, and also from its wider network of component supplier businesses.
Thereafter, Maggie was given a full tour of the Assembly line. Burnaston is one of Toyota’s two manufacturing plants in the UK that represent a total investment in excess of £2.2 billion, as well as over 3,400 jobs. The vehicle manufacturing plant is located at Burnaston in Derbyshire and the engine manufacturing plant is located at Deeside in North Wales. The first car, a Carina E, drove off the Burnaston production line in 1992.
To complete the morning visit, Maggie then returned to Egginton for a Question and Answer session. As a local Member of Parliament, the visit was designed to give Maggie a greater insight into a key employer in the Derbyshire region and to give her a greater understanding of the manufacturing industry, by focusing on skills and supply chains.
Commenting on the visit Maggie Throup MP said:
“I would like to thank all the staff at Toyota who gave up their time today and to also thank the IPT for their help in organising this visit. It was a very informative morning as I am currently engaged in a Manufacturing Fellowship with the IPT and as a neighbouring constituency MP, a number of my constituents work at the plant. It was also fantastic to see at first hand the on-site Academy Centre and witness the enthusiasm of apprentices and staff alike.
Tony Walker, Deputy Managing Director at Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd added:
“It was a great pleasure to host Maggie Throup MP at our site in Burnaston today and to take her round both our Academy and Assembly lines. We are glad to hear that she is currently undertaking a Fellowship in the manufacturing industry and she showed a great interest in the current challenges that we face. I would also like to thank the IPT for the work that they do in bringing parliamentarians and business together through their Fellowship Scheme.