Classic Mini Cooper Production Factory Past & Present – Video

Back in 1913 weekly production stood at 20 vehicles, but over the years that followed the factory’s output was to grow rapidly. To date, the plant has produced over 11.65 million cars bearing the badges of 14 different brands. Some 500,000 people have worked here over the years, the workforce peaking at 28,000 in the early 1960s. Today, Plant Oxford employs 3,700 associates and builds up to 900 MINI cars every day. More than 2.25 million MINIs have rolled off the assembly line since production began.

This historic occasion also elicited congratulations and best wishes from arguably England’s most famous address: 10 Downing Street. “The substantial contribution which the Oxford plant has made to the British economy over the last 100 years is something all involved should be proud of,” said Prime Minister David Cameron. “MINI’s worldwide success has gone hand-in-hand with a rejuvenation of the production facility. Indeed, the state-of-the-art production equipment here provides an excellent example of how intelligent investment and British manufacturing can come together to great effect.”

 

 

It was the plant’s founder William Morris, later Lord Nuffield, who got the ball rolling. Morris was one of the country’s most respected philanthropists – in a sense, the Bill Gates of his time. In total he gave away around £11 billion (€13 billion) in today’s money. Other legacies of his work include three wings of the University of Oxford that bear his assumed title and the iron lungs he manufactured and subsequently donated to local hospitals.

These ventilators did not represent the factory’s only foray into unfamiliar territory. Far from it: Tiger Moth aircraft, ambulances and parachutes were all manufactured here at various times. However, its main business was always automotive production, and a large number of important models have rolled off the assembly line in Oxford over the course of its history – cars such as the Morris Minor, Morris Marina and Austin Maestro, as well as the classic Mini, of course.

Today, the Oxford plant is home to the core of MINI production. The MINI Hatchback, Convertible, Clubman, Clubvan, Roadster and Coupé are all built here. Plus, major new investment is making its presence felt, funding the installation of around 1,000 new robots in a new bodyshop and other existing areas of the plant. This accounts for the lion’s share of the £750 million investment programme that came on stream last year with the aim of preparing the production facility for the next generation of MINI models.