NAA Update: £11bn to develop and manufacture the next generation of EVs
The industry shift to decarbonisation through electrification has so far seen almost £11bn committed across the UK by OEMs and the supply base to develop and manufacture the next generation of battery electric vehicles. Our region alone over the next decade is due to benefit from over 25% of that total.
Welcome to this month’s newsletter and I hope that you are all keeping well.
Given all of the current challenges that we are facing as a wider manufacturing sector, including supply chain disruptions, rising energy and materials costs and a shortage of skilled labour, it’s sometimes easy to miss the positive developments taking place in our specific sector. The industry shift to decarbonisation through electrification has so far seen over £11bn committed across the UK by OEMs and the supply base to develop and manufacture the next generation of battery electric vehicles.
Our region alone over the next decade is due to benefit from over 25% of that total, with these investments to date:
£110m at Stellantis, Ellesmere Port
£230m at Ford Transmissions, Halewood
£2.5bn at Bentley Motors, Crewe
As part of this latter investment, Bentley recently announced a recruitment drive for 100 talented engineers as the luxury marque accelerates its forward thinking Beyond100 strategy, the boldest plan of its kind in the sector. Working across multiple disciplines within engineering, a key responsibility will be to support delivery of the ambitious Five-in-Five plan, which commits Bentley to launching a new electric model each year, from 2025, redefining Bentley’s credentials as the benchmark manufacturer in sustainable luxury mobility – more information can be found later in the e-news.
Further investment will still however be needed in our sector to complete the transformation to electrification and this is highlighted in a newly released report from the Green Finance Institute – read the full report here.
In further news on the low carbon vehicle front and in response to growing customer demand due to the sustained development of the electric vehicle market, NAA member UTAC (formerly Millbrook) has decided to expand its battery testing laboratory with the construction of two new battery test chambers at UTAC Millbrook. These chambers will complement the existing test facilities and will be commissioned by the end of the year.
On the membership side, I would like to welcome one new member this month: H&T Battery Components (Rechargeable) – based in Blackburn, they are a fast-growing supplier of battery components to the rechargeable battery industry. Adrian May, Director of Strategic Partnerships, features in our “In the Driving Seat” article further in this e-news.
Our networking programme continues with a combination of physical and virtual events and you can read more about our recent visit to AMRC North West’s state of the art new facility later in the e-news. Further physical events are in planning and separate details will follow shortly.
Meanwhile, our next Member Virtual Roundtable is scheduled for Thursday, 19 May – places are limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to register, please contact Zoe
Our partner organisation, Make UK, will also be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, 18 May / 10:30-12:00 – “HR Inform: Wellbeing & Ways of Working Webinar”. This online event will provide unique insight into today’s ways of working with the rise of flexible working demands and the need to provide holistic wellbeing support – full details can be found later in the e-news.
Elsewhere in this month’s newsletter, you can read about some of the latest developments from a selection of our other members, including Bentley Motors, the University of Salford and Warwick Acoustics.
For the latest news on the training front, read on:
**Upcoming Core Tool Courses**
APQP (1 Day) – 19th May
PPAP (1 Day) – 22nd June
IATF 16949:2016 – Internal Auditor Course (2 Days) – 24th/25th May
All the above courses will be held virtually – if any of your employees / colleagues require this training, please register your interest with Zoe. Please note that we need to achieve a minimum number of delegates to run this course. Industry Forum – SMMT Oversight will once again provide the training – Industry Forum is the only training provider in the UK sanctioned to deliver SMMT Oversight approved core tools training and certification.
Additive Manufacturing – in partnership with member company 3DGBIRE and its CREATE project, the NAA is able to offer a two-day training course in Additive Manufacturing Technologies, covering an introduction, exploration and application of a wide variety of techniques including 3D scanning and printing. Please note however, that we need to achieve a minimum number of delegates per course to make this feasible. For further details please contact Zoe.
If you would like to submit content to feature in an upcoming e-news please contact Zoe.
Stay safe.
Paul Jones
NAA CEO
