New battery facility in the UK

Saft's activities in the UK are currently concentrated on its site in South Shields, South Tyneside, a site it acquired in 2001. Saft has invested in modernising the facility, but today believes that due to its age and layout it is no longer adapted to the needs of a high-tech battery company. Saft is a supplier of advanced batteries to the UK's industrial and defence markets, to key customers such as the MOD, and major OEMs. Saft has 16 other production facilities around the world, all operating with standardised procedures and worldwide sales and service teams. The current and future needs of Saft's customers in the UK today require substantial investment and therefore the Group considers this the right time to upgrade to a new manufacturing site. In order to implement this multi-million pound plan, Saft is working on a plan to redevelop the existing South Shields site. The Group is also working in parallel with the developer and with local and regional bodies, to identify a suitable location for the development of its new facility in the North East of England. This project is part of Saft's commitment to continued dedicated UK manufacturing of advanced battery systems, in support of local industrial and defence projects, including the high-tech programmes coming on line in the next few years.