New bosses at Norton: Hentschel and Urciuoli take over

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New bosses at Norton: Hentschel and Urciuoli take over
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New bosses at Norton: Hentschel and Urciuoli take over

New head of Norton from Germany
Norton names Robert Hentschel as CEO

The British motorcycle manufacturer Norton moves into new production facilities at the Solihull location. Production is scheduled to start under new management in the second quarter of 2021.


Uli Baumann

05/14/2021

Despite all prophecies of doom, the British motorcycle manufacturer Norton soon motorcycles were built again in significant numbers. Under the new owner, the Indian TVS Motor Company, Norton has moved into a new production facility at its Solihull site in the West Midlands. Now Robert Hentschel has been appointed CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and Vittorio Urciuoli has been appointed CTO (Chief Technology Officer).

The new bosses

After acquiring Norton, TVS appointed John Russell as interim CEO. Russell, was previously both Vice President and General Manager of Harley-Davidson Europe and prior to that at Land Rover. He immediately started hiring to keep the business going. During that time, TVS looked around for a new CEO and has now found Robert Hentschel. Hentschel comes from the Finnish contract manufacturer Valmet Automotiv and has a doctorate in physics from the Technical University of Braunschweig. Previously, he was, among other things, already active in the management of Lotus. The newly named Norton CTO Vittorio Urciuoli was head of the drive division from 2013 to 2016.

The new CEO Robert Hentschel praised Norton’s performance over the past year in a first statement: “Under the strategic direction of TVS Motor, Norton has already achieved incredible successes including ending third-party management and beginning rebuilding. An ambitious team was formed and around 100 new specialists were hired. The work done is brought to the region and we will add more in the future as our business grows.”

The new plant

At the new location, in which TVS has invested several million pounds, Norton will concentrate production, development and design as well as all service and spare parts supply. The official opening is expected to increase in the first quarter of 2021. Norton currently has 50 employees in Solihull. If demand increases, the workforce is to be increased. TVS proudly emphasizes that the new headquarters in Solihull is the most modern facility that Norton has ever owned in its 100-year history. 8,000 motorcycles should be built here annually.


New bosses at Norton: Hentschel and Urciuoli take over


Norton

First Commandos, then V4SS models

Only a few production facilities and special tools were taken over from the old location. The rest of the production is based on state-of-the-art facilities. First of all, machines of the type that have already been ordered and in some cases already paid for are listed here Commando manufactured. The series production of the Super athlete V4SS start up.

“The opening of the new headquarters is a significant step forward for Norton Motorcycles. The opening of this state-of-the-art facility lays the foundation for Norton’s sustainable long-term future. The new motorcycles meet the world-class standards that our customers expect”, explains TVS managing director Sudarshan Venu.

The new Norton plant is located in the immediate vicinity of the production facilities of the car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, which also has an Indian owner in Tata. Relations between the West Midlands and India are correspondingly good. The relationship between Great Britain and India also strengthens Ralf Speth’s appointment to the supervisory board of Norton’s mother TVS. Speth was boss at Jaguar / LandRover for eleven years and sits there on the board of directors. From January 2023, he will replace Venu Srinivasan, who will be given an honorary position, on the TVS board of directors.

opinion poll

Norton has a future under the Indian owner TVS?

Voted 411 times

Yes, the Indians will bring Norton forward sustainably.

No, TVS will not be able to revive the British in the long term either.

Conclusion

After the last inglorious crash, the future looks bright again for Norton under TVS. The new plant is up and running, production is due to start soon and the management floor is freshly manned. If the bikes are still right and customers pull along, Norton could become a real house number again.

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