NAA Member News: GEFCO UK launches Luton project with innovative employment scheme
GEFCO UK has welcomed 41 experienced automotive employees to support a significant new customer project at its Luton site, as part of a move to help redeploy talented industry professionals impacted by recent redundancy…
The initiative, which will see the recruitment of 104 employees, follows GEFCO’s nomination to support the launch of the new K0 vehicle by five different tier one suppliers of Opel Vauxhall Luton, part of PSA Group. The business has been awarded the contracts to provide different commodities for the new commercial vehicle, including fuel tanks, wiring harnesses, medallions and front and rear bumpers.
In building the team, GEFCO has worked in partnership with Proman Recruitment to help to redeploy individuals that have been impacted by recent redundancies, allowing the business to secure the knowledge and talent of experienced professionals in the automotive sector.
The new local workforce will be supported by GEFCO’s head office in Courbevoie, France and a Task Force that taps into GEFCO’s global network with employees from other countries as well as UK sites contributing.
The project includes managing on-site storage, sub-assembly, sequencing and assembly line feeding for the new vehicles. Initial work started in January, with the project formally due to go live in May ahead of a sustained ramp-up of production until nominal volumes are reached by August this year.
GEFCO is establishing a three-shift operation at the site to deliver the operation, including a team of over 100 fully trained staff, which includes setting up IT systems with original equipment manufacturers and ensuring all areas of the site are fully up and running for the projected workload.
Craig Allen, Head of Operations at GEFCO UK said: “Our new project at Luton is a fantastic opportunity to develop our footprint and demonstrate our expertise in the global marketplace. We consider our people to be our most important asset, and our aspiration is to develop potential through our employee experience programmes. Some of our new team have already been out to France to meet with our customers and bring back examples of best practice, which is helping to shape training and onboarding for the future team to nurture a best in class talent pipeline.”
Key roles being fulfilled at Luton to deliver the project include machine operators, forklift truck drivers, material planners, quality assessors and a management team ensuring GEFCO continues to deliver on and exceed customer expectations.
