Dr Ralf Speth , CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, explains why the luxury car manufacturer is sponsoring the Manufacturing, Science & Technology and Environment & Sustainability categories at the Birmingham Post Business Awards.

Jaguar Land Rover is proud to sponsor the 2010 Birmingham Post Business Awards, and looks forward to celebrating the success of local businesses in the key areas of ‘Manufacturing, Science & Technology’ and ‘Environment & Sustainability’.

Jaguar Land Rover is a company which is firmly focused on engineering and manufacturing innovative, exciting and high-quality vehicles, and doing so in way which reduces the impact of its products and processes on the environment.

The company believes very strongly that the future prosperity of this region depends on encouraging creative new manufacturing and technology businesses to thrive and grow, businesses which place future sustainability at the heart of their operations.

Jaguar Land Rover is investing in exactly that future. Each year, Jaguar Land Rover will be spending £1bn annually on product investment (CAPEX and R&D) in the years ahead at its two engineering centres in Whitley and Gaydon – well over a third of the total UK spend on automotive R&D.

Production at Jaguar Land Rover sites has a huge positive impact on the local economy. The company spends £2.5 billion each year within the supplier base, helping to secure around 130,000 jobs in the supply chain.

Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s biggest automotive exporter, earning £6 billion in revenues each year.

Of the 16,000 people directly employed by Jaguar Land Rover, over 4,000 are designers, engineers and technologists responsible for bringing the next generation of desirable, low-carbon products to market.

This places the company in the vanguard of the UK motor industry’s drive towards a greener future. Jaguar Land Rover is undertaking a massive £800m investment programme which is directly focused on environmental innovation – including hybrid and electrification technologies – that will reduce the carbon footprint of its vehicles.

The early fruits on this investment are already starting to be seen.

The stunning new Jaguar XJ luxury sports saloon uses an aerospace-inspired lightweight aluminium body which is around 35 per cent lighter than a traditional steel body. With the highly efficient 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, the new XJ sprints from 0—60mph in just 6.0 seconds, yet achieves combined fuel consumption of over 40mpg.

During 2011, Jaguar Land Rover will also be launching the smallest, lightest and most fuel efficient Range Rover ever produced. The new Range Rover Evoque will combine the unmistakable show car looks of the LRX Concept, with the ability to achieve CO2 emissions of less than 130g/km.

These greener new products illustrate just part of the progress that the company is making towards a more sustainable and successful future.

Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing operations in Castle Bromwich, Halewood and Solihull have been steadily gaining a global reputation as centres of excellence for continuous improvement, lean manufacturing and improving quality performance.

The efficiency of their operations is matched by a strong commitment to minimising their environmental impact, through adopting processes which utilise the minimum amount of energy and resources – such as the innovative low-energy construction process used for aluminium body shells, eliminating waste, and maximising recycling and the use of renewable resources.