Expansion will create 100 jobs
ROARING SUCCESS OF MODEL AND INCREASING WORLDWIDE SALES DRIVE NORTON GROWTH PLANS
AN estimated 100 jobs are being created thanks to an East Midlands motorcycle firm’s expansion programme.
Norton Motorcycles, which currently employs 120 people, is going ahead with its expansion on the back of increased sales across the world and the success of its new V4 model.
The news has been met with a positive response from enthusiasts.
Norton is recruiting designers, CAD engineers, purchasing professionals and production operators to work at its factory in the grounds of Donington Hall, close to East Midlands Airport.
The firm is also expanding its successful apprenticeship scheme.
The company is also adding a 12,000 sq ft extension to its existing 45,000 sq ft production facility.
The new manufacturing space will allow for a new production line for Norton’s latest models, and increased volumes.
Norton chief executive and owner Stuart Garner said the skills they were looking for were in short supply, but Norton liked to train and develop its own staff.
He said: “All of our bikes are hand built, with engines, wheels and sub assemblies also built in our factory using 83 percent Uk-sourced components.
“The environment here is very different to a mass-manufacture production line, so we like to think it is a great environment for people with the right enthusiasm and application.”
More than 80 percent of Norton’s production goes overseas, with growing demand for its bikes in the United States, Australia, Japan and markets across Europe and Asia.
Norton has established a joint venture to build bikes in Pune, India, which will allow it to sell machines into South East Asian markets, escaping punishing import tariffs.
The Pune factory will be supplied with components and sub-assemblies from the Donington facility.