Aston Martin Starts Making Cars Again, Workers Have To Comply To The New Normal

As countries have begun relaxing restrictions, car manufacturers can finally breathe again. In the case of Aston Martin, the carmaker has resumed production at the St. Athan facility, in Wales, where the DBX SUV will come to life.

As expected, workers have to comply to new protocols, which protect individual staff members, their colleagues, families and the wider community.

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Social distancing is also being promoted and employees have to limit their interaction on site. Furthermore, there are specific guidelines for navigating the site, breaks, mealtimes and dealing with visitors and contractors.

There are also new rules for arriving and leaving the site, as well as detailed guidance for traveling between the company’s sites and pool car arrangements. Workers are being checked for temperature before entering their shifts and have to wear face masks at all times.

“The safety and ongoing good health of our staff is absolutely paramount in our thinking as we slowly and carefully return to car building”, said Aston Martin Lagonda’s St. Athan Director of Manufacturing, Scott Ward.

“The arrangements we have put in place here for our phased return to work as we continue to build the brand’s first SUV – the highly-anticipated DBX – are designed to support the health and safety of staff while, of course, doing everything we can to ensure we do not add to the burden already being borne by the incredibly dedicated frontline staff of the NHS.”

Subsequent to the opening of the St. Athan plant on May 5, Aston Martin will resume work at its global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire at a later date, and will open other UK sites and offices eventually.

Unveiled late last year, the DBX is Aston Martin’s first SUV. It boasts AMG power, in the form of a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, which makes 542 HP and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque. Shared with the Vantage and DB11 V8, the eight-banger rockets the DBX to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.5 seconds and up to 181 mph (291 km/h). U.S. pricing starts at $189,900, while in the UK, it can be had from £158,000 ($195,664).