Aston Martin plans reopening of South Wales manufacturing site
Aston Martin Lagonda, which has its headquarters at Gaydon in Warwickshire, has announced that it plans to reopen its St Athan factory on May 5, following Public Health Wales and England guidelines which protect the safety of its people.
The Company, which closed all manufacturing on March 24, has also been working closely with its suppliers to secure supply aligned to this timing. Gaydon manufacturing operations are planned to resume later.
Earlier this month, the luxury car maker joined the campaign to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to frontline NHS workers during the Coronavirus crisis, to provide new respiratory protection device, protective visors and gowns. Working with its project partner, Multimatic, Aston Martin is helping the MTC (Manufacturing Technology Centre), based at Coventry, to refine and produce a new respiratory protection device. This intubation shield is in simple terms a Perspex box that goes over a patient’s upper body during procedures, protecting the medical staff but also allowing them the access they need to the patient.
As part of previously announced mitigation measures in response to COVID-19, Aston Martin furloughed the majority of its employees.
The company's directors have agreed to a voluntary reduction in pay. Non-Executive Directors are waiving 35% of their fees and the Chief Executive Officer is waiving 35% of his base salary and will not participate in the FY 2020 annual bonus plan. Vice Presidents are waiving 20% of their base salaries. Other members of senior management have also been asked to voluntarily waive 5%-10% of base salary depending on salary level. These changes will be applied retrospectively for a three-month period from 1 April and will be kept under monthly review. In his new role as Executive Chairman, Lawrence Stroll has elected to receive a nominal salary only, of £1 per annum.