Ryton-on-Dunsmore
From Free net encyclopedia
Ryton-on-Dunsmore is a village and civil parish in the Rugby district of Warwickshire, located just to the South East of Coventry, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 1,672 in the parish.
The A45 road passes through the village, where the Henry Doubleday Research Association has a large show-garden dedicated to organic gardening in the village to which is attached a shop, garden centre and restaurant.
PSA Peugeot Citroën
Ryton's biggest employer is PSA Peugeot Citroën, however it has been announced that the plant will close in 2007 with the loss of 2,500 jobs. The factory was originally constructed to build aircraft engines for WW2 and following the conflict became the headquarters of the Rootes Group. Rootes entered financial difficulties and the plant was taken over by Chrysler in the 1960s. Peugeot has been the owner of the plant since 1978, when Chrysler itself entered financial difficulties and sold the plant for a symbolic $1 - although PSA acquired all its debt in the process.
In January 1986, the first Peugeot was made at Ryton – the 309 and the 405 followed two years later. The 309's successor, the 306, was made at Ryton from 1993 to 2001. The 206 has been made there since 1998, and the 206 SW has been made at Ryton since 2002. The plant has only made vehicles from the 206 range since 2001, in both RHD and LHD configurations and currently is the sole production facility of RHD Peugeot 206s (excluding the CC). Despite this most Peugeot 206s are produced in France.
The factory is small in relation to other car plants with a work force of around 2,500 people, the plant's weekly output is produced in a day at some of Peugeot's French factories. Because of its size the facility has to make the most of the space it has and much machinery is located overhead, it is exceptionally compact.
On April 18, 2006 Jean Martin Folz, the chief executive of Peugeot Citroen, visited the plant and announced its closeure. PSA had previously said that labour costs per unit are higher at Ryton than in mainland Europe. Beginning July 2006 production will be slowed by moving from two shifts per day to one, then in mid-2007 production would cease. This will mark the end of 206 production.Template:Warwickshire-geo-stub