Thursday 6th April 2017

Aston Martin officially in Wales

MOD formally hands over St Athan to Aston (and we'll be there on Sunday!)

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While the news of Aston Martin taking up residence in Wales has been known for a while now, today it has been made official: the former St Athan RAF base has been formally signed over to Aston by the Ministry of Defence.

Parking sorted for Sunday then...

It will be used primarily for the production of the DBX crossover, with the development said to be on course for the first builds to start in 2019. Already 750 direct new jobs have been created in South Wales, with a further 3,000 set to follow across the supply chain and local businesses.

The build is now in Phase II (Phase I was creating offices, reception areas and, crucially, the restaurant) with the three super hangers being redeveloped into a place you can actually build cars. As a result of this supply chain companies will bid for contracts worth more than £60m to help with construction, part of the Welsh Government's 'Sell to Wales' initiative.

The launch was attended by Aston CEO Andy Palmer, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones. Palmer commented: "Due to its sheer size and scale the St Athan Super Hangars represented an excellent opportunity for us to build our second manufacturing facility".

The DBXs will be rolling out of here soon!

And it wouldn't be an industry news story in 2017 without mention of Britain's departure from the European Union. Alun Cairns: "As the UK exits the EU, we are determined that our country remains a great place to invest and to do business. Aston Martin's decision to invest in Wales shows that we are creating and supporting the right conditions for industry investment." So there you are...

Even better news is that PH will be visiting this new facility at the weekend! If you were fortunate enough to get on the Aston Sunday Service list we look forward to seeing you there on Sunday. Should be a good one!

 

 

 

[V8 FOU]

So, do we still have to be "accompanied" accross the runway?
Is the airport going to still be active under A-M?

Anyway, good for them.

[Jonno02]

Will they paint the DBX's the right colour though?

[Yipper]

Kudos to Aston Martin for sticking with British production.

[Oilchange]

Good news for Aston Martin and Wales. But what of my old friends that were parked in the end hangar? Are they still there?

Edited by Oilchange on Thursday 6th April 17:43

[V8 FOU]

Oilchange said:

Good news for Aston Martin and Wales. But what of my old friends that were parked in the super hangar?

Re-cycled aluminium for A-M's new model. The Vintage.

[Oilchange]

The 'Vintage', lol.





...although I'm not sure about the recycling bit

Edited by Oilchange on Thursday 6th April 17:47

[RobXjcoupe]

St athan based Aston Martin employees are paid less than their England based employees and I was told they couldn't match my Ford hourly paid salary if I wished to join their company?

[williamp]

Oilchange said:

Good news for Aston Martin and Wales. But what of my old friends that were parked in the end hangar? Are they still there?

Edited by Oilchange on Thursday 6th April 17:43

They have now been painted Aston racing green and will be used to persoanlly deliver the new cars via a drop-parachute out the back. Think Amazon's drone delivery system, but the next level: Sanction 2, if you will...

[ecsrobin]

RobXjcoupe said:

St athan based Aston Martin employees are paid less than their England based employees and I was told they couldn't match my Ford hourly paid salary if I wished to join their company?

Could that be due to the cost of living?

[RobXjcoupe]

ecsrobin said:

RobXjcoupe said:

St athan based Aston Martin employees are paid less than their England based employees and I was told they couldn't match my Ford hourly paid salary if I wished to join their company?

Could that be due to the cost of living?

?

[ecsrobin]

RobXjcoupe said:

ecsrobin said:

RobXjcoupe said:

St athan based Aston Martin employees are paid less than their England based employees and I was told they couldn't match my Ford hourly paid salary if I wished to join their company?

Could that be due to the cost of living?

?

The wage difference. Just at a guess I'd suggest it's more expensive to live around gaydon than it is at st athan so do the wages reflect that?

[Yipper]

ecsrobin said:

RobXjcoupe said:

ecsrobin said:

RobXjcoupe said:

St athan based Aston Martin employees are paid less than their England based employees and I was told they couldn't match my Ford hourly paid salary if I wished to join their company?

Could that be due to the cost of living?

?

The wage difference. Just at a guess I'd suggest it's more expensive to live around gaydon than it is at st athan so do the wages reflect that?

GDP per head in St Athan is about 15-30% lower than Gaydon, so wages in South Wales are inevitably going to be lower.

[Oilchange]

Bit like this maybe (cut to 1min 10sec)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1izGSMKqskY

williamp said:

They have now been painted Aston racing green and will be used to persoanlly deliver the new cars via a drop-parachute out the back. Think Amazon's drone delivery system, but the next level: Sanction 2, if you will...

[RobXjcoupe]

Yipper said:

ecsrobin said:

RobXjcoupe said:

ecsrobin said:

RobXjcoupe said:

St athan based Aston Martin employees are paid less than their England based employees and I was told they couldn't match my Ford hourly paid salary if I wished to join their company?

Could that be due to the cost of living?

?

The wage difference. Just at a guess I'd suggest it's more expensive to live around gaydon than it is at st athan so do the wages reflect that?

GDP per head in St Athan is about 15-30% lower than Gaydon, so wages in South Wales are inevitably going to be lower.

Total rubbish! A 300k house around st athan isn't cheaper lol, fuel isn't cheaper, food isn't cheaper? You don't get more welsh pounds to the English pound lol and I bet the cars built in st athan are not 15-30% cheaper to buy.

[ecsrobin]

RobXjcoupe said:

Total rubbish! A 300k house around st athan isn't cheaper lol, fuel isn't cheaper, food isn't cheaper? You don't get more welsh pounds to the English pound lol and I bet the cars built in st athan are not 15-30% cheaper to buy.

2 bed terraced in gaydon is around £160k
3 bed terraced in st athan is around £95k

[HighwayStar]

RobXjcoupe said:

Total rubbish! A 300k house around st athan isn't cheaper lol, fuel isn't cheaper, food isn't cheaper? You don't get more welsh pounds to the English pound lol and I bet the cars built in st athan are not 15-30% cheaper to buy.

A 300k house around St Athan isn't cheaper but it's a damn site more house than than what's on offer in Gaydon

St Athan: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
Gaydon: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...

[binnerboy]

V8 FOU said:

So, do we still have to be "accompanied" accross the runway?
Is the airport going to still be active under A-M?

Anyway, good for them.

If it isn't active then , I mean , all that tarmac, well, shame to waste it , test track ..? track days ?

sprints ? autosolos ? stage rallies ? single venue targa rallies ?

enquiring minds want to know

Though it will probably end up as houses

[skahigh]

HighwayStar said:

A 300k house around St Athan isn't cheaper but it's a damn site more house than than what's on offer in Gaydon

St Athan: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
Gaydon: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...

Indeed. Plus St. Athan is only 10 minutes from this:



Great news for South Wales.

Edited by skahigh on Friday 7th April 14:07

[chrisga]

HighwayStar said:

A 300k house around St Athan isn't cheaper but it's a damn site more house than than what's on offer in Gaydon

St Athan: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
Gaydon: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...

To be fair you picked a house in Harbury to compare to though. Probably the village closest to Gaydon with the most over inflated ego and with house prices to match.....

[HighwayStar]

chrisga said:

HighwayStar said:

A 300k house around St Athan isn't cheaper but it's a damn site more house than than what's on offer in Gaydon

St Athan: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
Gaydon: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...

To be fair you picked a house in Harbury to compare to though. Probably the village closest to Gaydon with the most over inflated ego and with house prices to match.....

I just went for a 3 mile radius... no local knowledge of either. It's a shame AM don't match the Gaydon pay scale. I work for a huge British company and it's pays the same across the board. My wedge would definitely go further in Wales... with those great roads, my fuel bill would go up though.

As has been said, good to see production staying a Blighty and additional employment gained from, suppliers and support work.