Car maker Aston Martin will restart production in early May in an encouraging sign some mothballed UK factories are getting back to work.
All of Aston Martin’s plants were shut on March 25 due to the virus outbreak.
The marque brand will reopen the St Athan manufacturing facility on May 5, with plans to restart the Gaydon plant later.
St Athan, which employs 550 people, is key to a planned turnaround of the company because the flagship DBX sports vehicle will be produced there. The DBX is central to its growth plans. The restart will be phased over a long period meaning not all staff will return at once.
The company will draw on Public Health England safety advice to help restart the facilities. The majority of its workforce are currently furloughed but some will come back to work at the plant.
The company will rely on the Government’s job retention plan to pay 80% of salaries for workers who do not return to work.
Manufacturers are tentatively returning to production, say trade bodies.
British Coatings Federation chief Tom Bowtell, which represents the paint industry, said companies were “more optimistic” about returning to work.
“We are moving into a stage where we can see light at the end of the tunnel. More customers are opening and it feels like we’re turning a corner,” he said.
British Plastics Federation director general Philip Law said: “There is definitely an appetite to get back to business, as long as appropriate safety measures for staff can be implemented and the demand for particular products resumes.”
The British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association said social distance measures implemented by some of its members included reducing the number of workers on the factory floors, increasing hand-washing facilities, using separate entrances, and staggered lunch and tea-breaks.
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The UK has 140,000 manufacturers, 95% of which are SMEs, according to Make UK.
