Taking its lead from the type of systems used by premium brands in the automotive industry, Cox has invested an impressive £6.7m in creating its new production facilities. The new smart technology-driven assembly line is the result of a collaboration between the Cox Manufacturing Engineering team, many of whom have backgrounds in the high-end automotive industry, and QM Systems, one of the industry’s foremost providers of automation engineering services and solutions.

Smart technology will be used throughout the manufacturing process to guarantee the flawless quality of each Cox Powertrain outboard. The assembly line will include numerous features to achieve the exacting standard required including an automated ‘Spin rig’ to test every gearbox, Wi-Fi enabled DC tooling communicating directly with the MES system to record all assembly torque data, even down to a camera system to verify the continuity and exact size of each bead of sealant laid down by the bespoke plotter to ensure the perfect seal.

Announcing the release date at Seawork, Cox Powertrain’s Operations Director Jerry Attridge said: “This is a very exciting time for everyone at Cox Powertrain. Not only is the CXO300 a superb, innovative product, we are also creating a complex, high precision manufacturing facility using cutting edge technology to deliver what can only be described as a game changing product into the marine outboard market. Thankfully, we have built a fantastic team of people that I am certain will deliver a transformational product.”

Cox’s 4.4-litre 4-stroke V8 CXO300 has been shown to offer excellent performance with maximum torque delivered from 1,300 right through to 3,000rpm, reaching 479ft lbs  Ì¶  almost double the twisting power of its 300hp petrol rivals. The company predicts cost-of-life savings for the CXO300 are as high as £150,000 due to reduced fuel costs, fewer maintenance requirements and an expected three-times-longer life span.