Within the laboratory in the new Norton facility are inspection rooms, testing areas including destruction testing and a rolling road.
Norton Motorcycles has announced the completion of its new global headquarters. The all-new facility houses state-of-the-art manufacturing capability and the company’s new global design and R&D hub. Within just 18 months of acquiring the iconic British marque, TVS Motor has overseen the creation of its world-class facility in Solihull, West Midlands, UK paving the way to design and produce an exciting new generation of motorcycles built with world-leading manufacturing standards.
Sudarshan Venu, Joint Managing Director, TVS Motor Company, “The opening of the new headquarters represents a significant step forward for Norton Motorcycles and is a proud moment for everyone. We are creating the foundations for a sustainable long-term future for the Norton marque.
“We are setting out to create a bold future for the company, our employees, our customers and our partners that lives up to the highest expectations, enabling Norton to once again become the real global force its legacy deserves.”
Robert Hentschel, CEO, Norton Motorcycles, “The new Norton Motorcycles headquarters is a true embodiment of this iconic British marque. The facility is home to design, engineering, purchasing, sales, marketing, and support departments, as well as the highly skilled production team overseeing the build of our new generation of motorcycles. It is the perfect platform to re-energise our business as we lead the Norton brand to onward success where it will play a key role in the future of mobility.
This investment demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the motorcycles we build. We will not compromise on quality, and we continue to work alongside every supplier to ensure that our high standards are always met. With this new HQ opening, Norton is now fit for the future – creating an innovative and sustainable business model which will see us producing world-class motorcycles that are true to the unrivalled legacy of Norton.”
The new Norton leadership, together with TVS Motor Company, has conducted a wide-ranging review of Norton Motorcycles operations, resulting in new appointments and processes, specifically in engineering, design and manufacturing to ensure that the highest quality standards are met. The headquarters is creating over a hundred of new high-skilled jobs (and more in upcoming years) and will be able to build around 8,000 motorcycles a year.
As part of the new manufacturing process, every single component of every new Norton motorcycle will be evaluated in a new quality-testing laboratory to ensure the highest build quality. Within the laboratory are inspection rooms, testing areas including destruction testing and a rolling road. A customer reception and showroom, service workshop, and office are also housed at the new Headquarters.
The Norton manufacturing facility has been engineered to be highly sustainable and to minimise waste. The result is an intelligently engineered solution using flexible components that mean that Norton Motorcycles can expand and evolve, within the new space. The build used numerous sustainable and rapid build techniques on the project, the components of which are almost 50% reconfigurable as a proportion of total construction cost – in order to increase special flexibility.
Julian Lipscombe, Director, Bennetts Associates, “It has been a great privilege to play a key role in the rebirth of a global icon. We have created an environment for Norton that embodies their commitment to design quality, innovation and sustainability. A project ethos from the outset of ‘simple things done beautifully’ has resulted in a refined solution that could be delivered at great speed.”
