Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) CEO Adrian Mardell said the firm is "really unhappy" about delays at its new parts logistics hub in Leicestershire, which have left thousands of cars in the UK off the road.
Speaking to journalists as JLR detailed its financial performance in the previous quarter, Mardell spoke candidly about the challenges that have arisen from JLR downsizing its UK parts supply network from 18 warehouses to one 'super-centre' - the Mercia Park complex in Leicestershire.
It was first reported by Car Dealer Magazine that some 10,000 cars were off the road around the UK, with dealers unable to fit replacement parts due to delays at Mercia Park, and Autocar then revealed that dealers had been advised to use second-hand parts in a bid to clear the backlog.
Mardell confirmed to Autocar that "the level of performance in after-sales has been adversely impacted" by the hold-ups, and said coming to a resolution is a prevailing priority for the firm over the coming months.
"It was a planned transition but the transition is taking longer than we would originally have planned," he said, "and, just to be clear, that’s something that nobody wished for, and that’s something that, as an organisation with our partner we’re working with here, we obviously have responsibility for the change.”
He added that the delays are something “we do need to apologise for, as well”.
“To be very, very clear, this is something we are really unhappy about, and just like the challenges with vehicles being stolen, this is something right at the top of this organisation, and right at the top of our partner organisation [Unipart Logistics] as well."
Mardell said he is in regular communication with Unipart, because “this is right at the top of the escalation for resolving what we need to do here".
He added that, in October, for the first month since Mercia Park came online, the number of parts waiting to be shipped to dealers fell. He acknowledged reports that some 10,000 JLR cars were off the road in the UK awaiting parts, but said that figure has come down and today’s tally is less than 5000.
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Evoque is a piece of shit. Ford motor with timing belt issues.
If Japanese companies can manufacture cars that last why can't JLR. Cause they know there's big money in parts.
Stupid electronics that are unreliable and unnecessary bring the car to its knees and generally they can't fix the issues.
Could be good vehicles but the managers choose to consistently ruin the name instead of improving it.
Just a thought.
It was a planned transition but the transition is taking longer than we would originally have planned," he said, "and, just to be clear, that’s something that nobody wished for
Unless I'm reading that wrong, is anyone suggesting JLR did wished to delay the transition?
Not withstanding the oddities of the above comment, JLR have reduced 18 warehouses to a single centre. The phrase ' don't place all your eggs in the one basket ' springs to mind. Once the centre has resolved current issues, will that be the end of it? What happens if there's a plant fire or anything else that interrupts the distribution process?
Wonder what disaster recovery procedures they'll have in place? None by the sounds of it.