Electric powertrain firm acquires new Sunderland plant

Saietta, a supplier of e-mobility powertrains, has accelerated its growth plans by taking on a manufacturing facility in Sunderland.

The company says it wants to play a leading role in cleaning up the air in large cities around the globe by quickly deploying its innovative electric drive technology from scooters to buses.

A key enabler in achieving this vision is investing significantly into production facilities, equipment, processes and people. This agreement will enable Saietta to meet its stated objective of establishing a UK pilot production facility significantly ahead of its 2024 target.

The number of motors produced will build in a series of phases, with the first stage growing to a capacity of 100,000 units per annum.

The Sunderland plant is a specialised automotive electric motor manufacturing facility of 86,000ft² with a history of producing over 20 million electric motors for a range of automotive applications.

Saietta has purchased a total of four motor production lines and an electronic circuit board production line and 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 manufacture of its proven e-Axle commercial vehicle drivetrain technology in Sunderland which was previously manufactured in China, creating the potential for more green-technology manufacturing jobs in the UK.

Wicher Kist, chief executive of Saietta, commented: “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.”

“The UK is a hot-spot for electric powertrain innovation and we are committed to building up the engineering and manufacturing of our technology in the UK and exporting to mainland Europe and beyond. This is a very clear signal of our intent.”

Ian Constance, chief executive of the Advanced Propulsion Centre, added: “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.”

Saietta
www.saiettagroup.com