VEHICLE production forms one of the world’s most significant global industries.

Large manufacturing groups, owning multiple brands cross continents for production and deliver around the globe.

The location of the production sites is down to both cost and more-so market access issues.

In previous times labour costs were critical, but high automation has helped to control this in Europe.

If you want to avoid taxes and make your models competitive then you need to be in the major markets of the world.

The supply chain for these global giants can be formed from thousands of companies. Suppliers of suppliers of suppliers benefitting from the new business brought the release of a new model.

The news therefore about the acquisition of Vauxhall by PSA will bring high levels of uncertainty for the region, as the health of the supply chain for the Ellesmere Port plant could be impacted by a change in focus to another site.

The new Astra being produced there will help to protect the company for a while, but until PSA show clear plans for the next model and investment then uncertainty will concern staff.

That’s without any Brexit impacts for a now French owned firm.

  •  Lawrence Bellamy is deputy provost at the University of Chester's Padgate campus