Case Study 13: Car Industry - McLaren, Woking

Question 1

Describe the investment of McLaren

Answer 1

1. McLaren need to decide to create a headquarters for the majority of the McLaren groups employees, previously scattered across 18 locations in and around the Woking area.
2. The initial construction cost was £300 million
3. McLaren are currently expanding their production and are building w new 17,760 square metre McLaren production centre
4. once built the plant will assemble up to 20 McLaren sports cars a day by 2011, this expansion will result in an additional investment of £250 million

Question 2

Describe the job opportunities in McLaren

Answer 2

1. 900 people are currently moulded at the Woking site. Jobs are varied and include track support engineers, Sales Ledger Assistants, Transporter Drivers, Financial Analysts and mechanics
2. they also offer a graduate trainee programme
3. the newly planned McLaren production centre will support a further 800 jobs and will manufacture around 4000 cars a year by the middle of the decade.
4. up to 300 jobs will be generated directly as a result, with more indirectly through the construction programme, supply chain and global retail network

Question 3

Advantages of the location of the McLaren technology Centre

Answer 3

1. there was a large Greenfield site available for development, Mizan Farm, covering an area of 135 acres
2. the area has excellent tail links to London with direct link to London Waterloo. It’s is within close proximity of both Heathrow and gatwick airports and there is a rail-air bus link from Woking station to Heathrow
3. the local workforce are highly trained with 21% of the population being abdicated to degree level or higher.
4. Woking enjoys a reputation as a quality location in which to live and work.
5. it’s is located within close proximity to partner company TAG who are based in nearby Farnborough

Question 4

Disadvantages of The McLaren technology Centre

Answer 4

1. McLaren found it very difficult to get planning permission to expand.
2. workers can find it difficult to get to work because of traffic congestion on the area
3. it is situated in a protected “Green belt” area and so McLaren had to go through a costly court battle to win planning permission

Question 5

Explain how this economic activity affects the PEOPLE

Answer 5

1. About 1000 people were gathered technology Centre and employees receive a number of benefits including 700 seat restaurant, adjacent coffee bar, a swimming pool and fitness centre.
2. The building is designed to allow sunlight into the interior of the building and give everyone working inside and awareness of the outside.
3. Traffic has increased in the area according to the residents in Ottershaw, since the McLaren technology Centre was built after an appeal in 1997.
4. Further development of the McLaren is going to create 800 automotive jobs and an estimated additional 1500 indirectly in the local economy

Question 6

Explain how this economic activity affects the ENVIRONMENT

Answer 6

1. Five lake surrounded the building and they contain about 50,000 meter cubed of water. The lake water is used to call the building. It is pumped through a natural filtrating system of reed beds
2. The use of lakewater purposes has reduced The requirement for cooling towers from 7 to 2
3. The building is environmentally friendly, with natural light years wherever possible and any you recite them throughout the site. The development was assigned to minimise its impact on the open character of the area
4. Building is low and flat. It has a shielded view by planting of 100,000 trees and shrubs
5. A height limitation for the building was given. It is 11 m above ground level and the low built, deep plan building was sunk into the landscape
6. Turkish Hazel, no Asian maple, white stemmed Himalayan Birch and Scots pine trees have been specially selected along with a wide variety of ornamental shrubs and 2 1/2 km of box hedging to provide an ever-changing, year-round display. In addition, 33 hectares of the site have been sewn with wildflower seeds to establish a wildflower meadow

Question 7

Describe the location of the McLaren Technology Centre

Answer 7

1. The McLaren Technology Centre is located on a 50 hectare site located approximately 3 kilometres north of Woking town centre, Surrey UK
2. the site is the headquarters of the McLaren group and includes McLaren racing, McLaren automotive and Mercedes Benz McLaren