Saietta speed up growth with new UK manufacturing facility
Saietta Group, a specialists in e-mobility powertrains, is accelerating its growth plans by taking on a manufacturing facility in Sunderland, the former base of ZF Automotive UK Limited.
Saietta has a vision to play a key role in cleaning up the air in large cities around the globe by quickly deploying its electric drive technology from scooters to buses.
The company believes that a key enabler to achieve this, is investing significantly into production facilities, equipment, processes and people. The fact that Sainetta now has access to the Sunderland facility will enable the company to meet its objective of establishing a UK pilot production facility significantly ahead of its 2024 target, a press release reads.
The number of motors produced will build on a series of phases over time; with the first phase growing to a capacity of 100,000 units per annum.
The Sunderland plant is a specialised automotive electric motor manufacturing facility providing Sainetta with 86,000 square feet of floor space. The plant has a long history having manufactured over 20 million electric motors for a range of automotive applications since 1999.
Saietta says in the press release that it has purchased a total of four motor production lines and an electronic circuit board production line and that a considerable amount of this equipment can be re-purposed to meet the needs of Saietta’s customers going forward.
The company intends to use its new facility to scale up the production of its proprietary AFT (axial-flux technology) motors for multiple applications. Saietta will also locate the manufacturing of its e-Axle commercial vehicle drivetrain technology in Sunderland, which was previously manufactured in China.
“This is a landmark achievement for Saietta providing us with a UK production facility more than two years ahead of schedule, further speeding up our capability to supply our innovation to clients in high volume globally. In addition to the lease on the large premises in Sunderland, we are also acquiring automotive production lines and are ready to employ a fantastic, proven team with decades of experience in manufacturing electric motors between them,” says Wicher (Vic) Kist, Chief Executive of Saietta, in the press release.
Saietta says it will offer roles to former ZF personnel with a range of critical skills including fabrication, engineering, IT, quality control, finance and process management.
“I’m delighted to see Saietta taking over this facility with plans to manufacture some of the most advanced electric motor technology, creating highly skilled jobs and retaining talent in the sector. This is yet more proof that the UK is a leader in electric vehicle innovation and is now ready to move to large-scale production and commercialisation of UK-developed technology,” says Ian Constance, Chief Executive of the Advanced Propulsion Centre.
