News & Info > Fifth Form Design and Technology trip to MINI plant Fifth Form Design and Technology trip to MINI plant A group of Milton Abbey's Fifth Form enjoyed a trip to the MINI car plant in Oxford recently as part of their GCSE Design and Technology studies. Pupils watched hundreds of new MINIs passing through key assembly stages including welding, wiring, engine marriage and cockpit fitting, and had the chance to witness thousands of robots busy working on each car. Pupils got first hand experience of practices such as JIT (Just in Time) and were able to evaluate the positive and negative effects of automated technology on the structure of the business and employment. The group also learned about the sustainable operation elements of production and how much of the MINI plant uses renewable energy sources. Interestingly, the current MINI model is 98% recyclable and the group were also primed to look out for the new all-electric MINI model next year!