Norton Motorcycles revs up for bold future with new Solihull factory

TVS Motor Co-owned British marquee brand Norton Motorcycles has completed its new global headquarters, which houses state-of-the-art manufacturing capability and its new global design and R&D hub. It was in early January that Norton Motorcycles had announced its plans to move to the new headquarters.

The OEM says this forms a key part of its strategic growth plan on its journey to becoming the world-leader in luxury hand-crafted motorcycles. The new HQ is said to be a clear display of significant commitment by TVS Motor Company in its partnership with Norton Motorcycles. 

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 a new generation of motorcycles built with world-leading manufacturing standards.

Commenting on the shift to Norton’s new HQ at Solihull Sudarshan Venu, joint MD, TVS Motor Company, said: “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, said: “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.:"

Hentschel added, "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.

Evaluating every component
Norton says that as part of the new manufacturing process, every single component of every new 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 company says this results in 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 percent reconfigurable as a proportion of total construction cost – in order to increase special flexibility.

Norton Motorcycles says the new facility is supported by West Midlands Growth partnership, the UK government, and is a shining example of Anglo-Indian cooperation.