Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

The luxury car maker owned by BMW Group, designing and hand-building every Rolls-Royce at its Goodwood home in West Sussex.

About Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars designs and builds the world's most exclusive cars at its home in Goodwood, West Sussex. The site is the company's global headquarters, and it houses design, research and development, sales, marketing and senior management as well as the factory itself. Cars are delivered to customers on six continents, with around 90% of production exported.

The company is owned by BMW Group, which acquired the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars marque in July 1998. The Goodwood plant opened in 2003, and the first car built there, a Phantom, was handed over on 1 January 2003. The company's guiding principle comes from its founder Sir Henry Royce: "Strive for perfection in everything you do." We did not find a separate written mission statement.

Goodwood is not the only UK site. The Technology and Logistics Centre in Bognor Regis, about eight miles away, opened in January 2016 and covers 30,000 square metres to support manufacturing logistics. The company said that over three quarters of its people lived within 15 miles of the plant, so it is a major local employer in West Sussex. At opening the site employed 200 people building one car a day, and the company's press kit reports more than 1,700 employees, though that kit is not dated.

The company says around 60 pairs of skilled hands build each car, across specialist areas including the Surface Finish Centre, the Leathershop, the Woodshop and Test and Finish. Its Bespoke operation, where customers design a one-off car, has more than doubled in size since 2003. Customers are encouraged to visit and meet the people who build their cars, and many collect their car in person at the Customer Studio. These descriptions are the company's own. The Bespoke operation grew with an extension in 2012 and 2013 that added over 2,500 square metres to the Assembly Hall and about 650 square metres to the Surface Finish Centre. By the end of its first decade the site had grown to more than 1,400 people building over 20 cars a day.

Beyond the craft trades, a business like this relies on designers, engineers, logistics planners and marketing teams. Its academy for apprentices and technical training is called the Sir Henry Royce Institute. The Rolls-Royce Motor Cars press site and Goodwood pages are the best place to see how this team describes its work today.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Every car is built by craftspeople at Goodwood.', 'title': 'Hand-built luxury cars'}
• {'desc': 'Customers design one-off finishes and features.', 'title': 'Bespoke commissions'}
• {'desc': 'Manufacturing logistics support site in Bognor Regis.', 'title': 'Technology and Logistics Centre'}

Key facts

• Goodwood plant opened 2003; BMW Group owned the marque from July 1998
• Around 60 pairs of hands build each car (company claim)
• Employs 1,700+ people, over three quarters living within 15 miles (press kit)
• About 90% of production exported

Website: www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com