Happy returns (From The Oxford Times)

Happy returns

7:00am Thursday 14th July 2011 in Leader

Congratulations this week to all those involved in the production of the Mini, which has been rolling off the production lines at Cowley for a decade.

Since BMW took over the plant in 1994, there has been steady investment and a sense that the plant has a real future, a stark contrast to the previous decades and previous management regimes, which were often characterised by extremely poor industrial relations and a lack of investment.

But since 2000, BMW has invested more than £1.5bn in its UK operations, much of it in Cowley.

The plant, which now employs 4,000 people, is about to mark the launch of the two millionth Mini off the line.

With new models in the pipeline and Mini sales holding up well despite the global downturn, there is every reason to be optimistic about the plant’s future.