Luxury carmaker Aston Martin announces new factory in WalesFebruary 24, 2016 - 11:17 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The luxury carmaker Aston Martin has announced it will open a new factory in south Wales, creating more than 750 jobs, the Guardian reports. The luxury marque will build its new DBX crossover model at a plant in St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan from 2020 following a worldwide search for a new manufacturing facility. The plant will be Aston Martin’s second factory and would create an estimated 1,000 jobs in the wider supply chain and local businesses, the company said. The firm is famous for the sporty models associated with James Bond. Daniel Craig drove an Aston DB10 in the latest Bond movie, Spectre. Aston Martin’s chief executive, Andrew Palmer, said: “Through a detailed evaluation of over 20 potential global locations for this new manufacturing facility, we were consistently impressed with the focus on quality, cost and speed from the Welsh government team. As a great British company we look forward to St Athan joining Gaydon as our second center of handcrafted manufacturing excellence.” The Welsh first minister, Carwyn Jones, said: “I am delighted to officially welcome Aston Martin to Wales. We have been working closely with the company for almost two years in the face of fierce competition from other potential sites across the world.” The Welsh economy minister, Edwina Hart, said the plant making the DBX would mean cars rolling off a production line in Wales for the first time in almost 50 years. She said: “We already have more than 150 companies involved in the automotive supply chain, employing around 18,000 people and generating over £3bn to the Welsh economy, but this will be the first time in almost 50 years that we will be seeing vehicles roll off a production line in Wales.” Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |